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Hornets seek first win in Dallas since 1998

Apr 27, 2008 - 1:17 PM New Orleans at Dallas 9:30 pm EDT Western Conference first round Hornets lead, 2-1

DALLAS (Ticker) - Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets need to break through at American Airlines Center.

The second-seeded Hornets will try to snap their 12-game slide on the road against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Four of their Western Conference first-round series on Sunday.

Dirk Nowitzki had 32 points and 19 rebounds to lead a balanced attack in Game Three as the Mavericks continued their domination at home with a 97-87 victory over the New Orleans.

"(Nowitzki's) been great. He's been great all season long actually," Mavs guard Terry said. "He's been a lot more vocal and he's shown a lot of enthusiasm when someone else makes a good play - and that's all part of being a leader."

Nowitzki,the reigning league MVP, is averaging 30 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting over 50 percent in the series.

The Hornets haven't won in Dallas since January 24, 1998 when the franchise was located in Charlotte.

After having his way through the first two games, Paul cooled off some, finishing with just 16 points on 4-of-18 shooting in Game Three.

"We're just trying to make it as hard as possible for (Paul), contest his shots and see what happens," Terry said. "He's a great player and you are not going to stop him, but as long as we limit the guys around him and not let him get 30 points, 20 assists then we put ourselves in a good position to win and that's what we did."

Mavericks coach Avery Johnson's decision to insert Terry into the starting lineup in Game Three resulted in 22 points from the speedy guard.

But New Orleans coach Byron Scott will try to counter Johnson's move this time around with reserve Jannero Pargo, who scored a playoff career-high 30 points.

"(Pargo) played extremely well," Scott said. "He made shots and luckily he did cause if he didn't we probably lose by 25. "I might have to bring him in early (as the series goes on) especially if they're going to continue to start Jason Terry, because, like I said, I think he matches up with him as far as his speed and his quickness and he's one of our most energetic players as well."