Wow.

That’s all I can say about the Hornets’ play last night in their 101-82 victory over the Spurs. To be frank, after a (relatively) rough first quarter, I thought the highlight of the night would have been Super Hugo’s acrobatic dunk through a ring of fire. The arena workers’ amusing struggle with the stunt’s subsequent mess aptly foreshadowed the difficulty the Spurs would have extinguishing the fiery play of David West. The All-Star forward put up 30 points and 9 boards, shooting .565 from the field. On the other side of the court, Tyson Chandler effectively shut down Tim Duncan, limiting him to a paltry 5 points and 3 rebounds. Chris Paul and Tony Parker squared off with equally impressive performances, Paul finishing with 17 points and 13 assists, Parker with 23 and 5. The series continues Monday night in New Orleans.