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Even with Jason Terry guarding him, the crowd booing him and Dirk Nowitzki setting the tone for a renewed intensity among the Dallas Mavericks, Chris Paul insisted being on the road in the playoffs wasn't much different than being at home.

Well, except for that whole thing about him and his New Orleans Hornets teammates putting the ball in the basket with ease.

"I think we got a lot of shots we wanted,'' Paul said. "We just missed them.''

With 13 of Paul's first 16 shots falling out instead of in, and fellow All-Star David West clanging 11 of his first 14, the Hornets couldn't get into a groove until it was too late. Nowitzki and Terry came up big on both ends of the court, pulling Dallas right back into this first-round series with a 97-87 victory in Game 3 on Friday night.

Nowitzki had 32 points, 19 rebounds and six assists to get the Mavericks within 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday night in Dallas, where the Hornets haven't won since January 1998.

"We wanted to make sure we made it a series and win this first one,'' Nowitzki said. "They're going to keep coming. It's going to take the same effort, the same intensity.''

And, very likely, the same new lineup.

Terry replaced Jerry Stackhouse as a starter and replaced Jason Kidd as Paul's primary defender. The MVP candidate went from ringing up consecutive games with at least 30 points and 10 assists - something nobody had ever done in his first two playoff games - to having 16 points and 10 assists.

Terry cut off Paul's first step early and the speedster seemed a lot more content running the offense from the 3-point line. He kept getting the ball to West in hopes he would find his touch, but that didn't work either.

"Jet had a lot of energy. It takes lot energy to guard Paul,'' Dallas coach Avery Johnson said.

Paul finished 4-of-18 and West was 6-of-20 for 14 points. His late surge helped New Orleans cut a 17-point deficit to 90-83 with 2 minutes left, but the Hornets couldn't close the gap.

"We can't have the type of stretches I had to start the game off,'' West said. "That really put us in a hole.''

New Orleans' only consistent scorer was Jannero Pargo, who had 30 points, his most of the season and most ever in a playoff game. Peja Stojakovic was the only other double-digit scorer with 13. The Hornets shot just 38 percent.

"They came out with a Game 7 mentality, we came out with a Game 3 mentality,'' New Orleans coach Byron Scott said. "From the start, they outworked us. They were more physical, more aggressive.''

Terry gave the offense a lift, too, with 22 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:39 left to help hold off the Hornets' final surge. He had six assists. Kidd had eight points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Josh Howard scored 18 points for Dallas, but was only 5-of-16.

With all their playoff experience, the Mavs opened the series with two strong quarters. Then came six poor ones, which happened to coincide with the six best for the Hornets. Dallas players insisted they'd be better simply by being home - and they were right.

The Mavericks led by 11 points in the first quarter and were up by seven at halftime. Then came a third quarter that might get NBA conspiracy theorists going.

Dallas took 22 free throws in the period, compared to just seven for New Orleans. Yes, the Mavericks went to the rim harder than the Hornets. They also were aided by getting into the bonus just 3:17 into the quarter.

"They shot more in one quarter than we did for the game,'' Paul said - accurately. The Hornets took only 13 free throws, making them all. Dallas made 15 in the third quarter alone.

The game, and series, nearly turned midway through the third quarter. With Dallas up 62-54, Nowitzki was conked from behind by Tyson Chandler, then run into by Pargo. He was sprawled on the court, the crowd silenced.

Then last season's MVP got up and hit four straight free throws, then a jumper.

"You could tell from the start he was really into it,'' Scott said.

So, how did Paul's first road game and his first playoff loss change his mind-set?

"Now we're trying to win it in five games,'' he said. "This is fun. I love this. We lost tonight, but we get to see them again Sunday. This isn't the end of the road.''

Notes: Dallas won for only the third time in its last 13 playoff games. ... Paul missed shots at the end of the first two quarters, then couldn't get one off at the end of the third, with a bump by Kidd helping prevent it. ... Pargo's first miss came with 3:21 left in the third quarter. His second miss came a half-minute later. ... Johnson was tightlipped about lineup changes before the game, joking that Juwan Howard would be at point guard. Told about it, Howard grinned and bragged about his point-forward skills.

Phoenix took away Tony Parker's easy layups just like it wanted to. So he just made jump shot after jump shot after jump shot.

The smooth San Antonio point guard burned the Suns for a career-high 41 points along with 12 assists and the Spurs rolled to a 115-99 victory Friday night to take a 3-0 series lead.

This was supposed to be a spectacular first-round matchup of potential NBA champions. Instead, it's been a Spurs smackdown, with Parker leading the way.

"They were backing off on the pick-and-rolls," he said, "so I just took the shot, and it felt good tonight."

Everything felt good for the defending NBA champions, who never trailed in winning their ninth consecutive playoff game and 13th of 14, dating to last season.

"We possibly played our best game of the year," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

San Antonio can complete the sweep on Sunday in Phoenix. No NBA team has come back from 0-3 to win a series.

It's the first three-game losing streak for the Suns this season.

"They were almost perfect," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We didn't play well, and I'll take the blame for that, but you've got to give them a lot of credit. They played great."

Phoenix acquired Shaquille O'Neal to better match up with the Spurs, but the Suns are one loss away from being swept in a seven-game series for the first time since the Los Angeles Lakers did it in the 1988-89 Western Conference finals.

Tim Duncan added 23 points and 10 rebounds and Manu Ginobili scored 20 points in the Spurs' fourth consecutive playoff road victory and ninth in their last 11.

But Parker did the most damage, often on the pick-and-roll that has flustered Phoenix all series. With three different defenders trying to stop him, he finished 17-of-26 from the field.

The ultra-quick Frenchman scored 26 points in Game 1 and 32 in Game 2.

"Tony has been very aggressive and just done a great job at both ends of the floor," Popovich said. "He's just been phenomenal. I don't know what else to say about him."

The Suns cut the lead to 13 points twice in the fourth quarter, the last on Raja Bell's 3-pointer with 7:35 to play, but Parker countered with his first 3 of the game and the Suns were finished.

"We just played great. Sometimes that happens," Parker said. "It just clicked tonight. We played great on defense and everybody made shots."

The packed house in the Suns' first home game of the playoffs booed Popovich's "Hack-a-Shaq" tactics in the first half, but they turned on the home team when the Spurs took a 23-point lead on Ginobili's 3-pointer with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead Phoenix, which was last swept in a series when Portland did it in a best-of-five matchup in 1998-99. Leandro Barbosa scored 20 points and O'Neal, who finished 9-for-17 from the free throw line, had 19. Steve Nash, defended ferociously by Bruce Bowen, had seven points on 3-of-8 shooting with nine assists.

Phoenix took big early leads in the first two games in San Antonio. The Spurs were in control of this one from the start.

San Antonio made 10 of its first 13 shots, including five of six jumpers by Parker. A 17-4 outburst capped by Parker's 22-footer put the Spurs up 27-12.

Popovich went to the fouling ploy, having Jacque Vaughn go after the big guy three straight times late in the first. O'Neal was called for crossing the free throw line on his first two tries, missed his next two, then made one of two.

Kurt Thomas, a surprise starter, converted a three-point play with .3 seconds left in the first quarter to put San Antonio up 33-19.

Barbosa scored 10 quick points as Phoenix cut the lead to 37-31 with 8:05 left in the half, but the Spurs scored the next seven points.

Popovich returned to purposely fouling O'Neal late in the second quarter after Brent Barry's 3-pointer put San Antonio ahead 57-43 with 58 seconds left in the half.

O'Neal made three of four free throws, but Parker's driving layup at the buzzer put the Spurs up 61-47.

Parker scored the first five points of the second half, including a three-point play that made it 66-47. Consecutive outside jumpers by Duncan put the Spurs up 70-50, and the boos began.

Notes: Columnists at both local newspapers said in Friday's editions that coach Mike D'Antoni's job could be in jeopardy if the team flops in the first round. ... The Suns' Grant Hill, nursing a sore groin, didn't start but played 20 minutes. ... Thomas, in his third start of the season and second for San Antonio, scored nine points.

Pistons Forward Antonio McDyess suffered a broken nose in the third quarter of tonight’s game at Philadelphia. McDyess did not return to the game and his status for Sunday’s Game 4 is questionable. An update will be provided when more information becomes available.

NBA Playoffs Schedule for 26.04.2008

Toronto Raptors - Orlando Magic. Orlando leads 2-1

Denver Nuggets - Los Angeles Lakers. Lakers leads 2-0

Atlanda Hawks - Boston Celtics. Boston leads 2-0

Utah Jazz - Houston Rockets. Jazz leads 2-1

The three NBA championships Kobe Bryant won during the early part of this decade filled him up, to be sure.

But now he says his appetite for a championship is greater than it has ever been, and more consuming than before he won.

"I'm a little hungrier now than I was the first time," Bryant said Friday, a serious tone in his voice.

All Bryant has done to feed this inner beast is average 40.5 points in his first two playoff games against Denver, the highest scoring average in these NBA playoffs.

He has made 50.9 percent of his field-goal attempts and guided the Lakers to a 2-0 lead over the Nuggets in the best-of-seven series that resumes today in Denver.

After he spoke up last summer and put pressure on the Lakers to improve, then saw how the team had grown and the potential it had, he put an equal amount of pressure on himself to make the most of the opportunity.

"It comes with the territory," Bryant said. "You can't be Superman and not deal with the pressure of dropping somebody when you go to rescue them."

Bryant was 21 when he won his first championship in 2000. He's 29 now and doesn't want to wait much longer.

"The first one, I was so young," he said. "Plus I was sharing that pressure with somebody else. Me and Diesel (Shaquille O'Neal) both had the pressure on us to kind of get it done -- he more so than I. Now the pressure is squarely on my shoulders to try and bring another championship here. It's something that I accept."

Bryant, who seems driven like few others in the game, sees his influence rubbing off on teammates.

"I don't expect them to have the same hunger that I do," he said. "It's not the same that I have, but they are driven enough to get it done. No question about it. They are all hungry."

The first task is getting by Denver. The Nuggets are up against it, knowing they can't fall into a 3-0 deficit, a hole no NBA team has climbed out of to win a series.

"We have to be a little more physical, or prepare for more contact or duress, I guess," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "Play through things that will happen to you out there on the court -- the contact, and through fouls."

What about Jackson's hunger? He led Bryant to those three titles and returned in 2005 to lead the Lakers back to the mountaintop.

He hasn't won an NBA title since 2002, so many wonder if Jackson has that same hunger as Bryant.

"Well, I haven't had breakfast since 8:30. I'm very hungry right now," Jackson joked. "I had to come out here to talk to you guys and it's past my lunchtime. So yes, I am hungry. But I just want to win the series."

Jackson, tied with Celtics legend Red Auerbach for most NBA titles as a coach with nine, was asked if he is hungry to pass his one-time nemesis.

"I'll see you guys later," Jackson said and walked away, a smile on his face.

Turiaf Hopes to Play

Ronny Turiaf, who missed Game 2 with tonsillitis, practiced some Friday and said he hopes to play today in Game 3.

"I'm actually eating and drinking today," said Turiaf, who said he lost 11 pounds in the past week. "I might be tired when I play but I think I can help."

Reach Broderick Turner

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan spoke of his team's need to be more physical and aggressive in Game 4, sparking surprise among the Rockets.

"To sum it short and sweet, he's coaching though the media," Rockets guard Tracy McGrady said. "That's all he's doing. I had a coach (Jeff Van Gundy) who did the same thing.

"Like I said before this series started, this is one of the most physical teams in our league. If you are not physical with them, they're going to run you out of the gym."

Hearing about Sloan's comments, Rockets coach Rick Adelman expected Utah to be even more physical than before.

"We're tough and they're not?" Adelman said. "It sounds to me like they're going to try and be Goliath (today). We'd better be ready for it. We already talked about that. They're going to throw their best effort at us and try to keep their home-court advantage. That's not untypical. We said the same things after the first two games."

'Always a bridesmaid'
Rockets forward Shane Battier was second to Suns forward Grant Hill in the voting for the 2007-08 NBA Sportsmanship Award.

"Always a bridesmaid," Battier said. "If it wasn't Grant, I would be a little more upset, but Grant is a good guy.

"At this point in my life, any award is a good award. I don't care if I win the D-flight for the championship of my golf club."

Making them earn it
Early in the fourth quarter Thursday, Shane Battier fouled Utah's Paul Millsap to deny a clean look at the basket, the sort of foul that was much of a lifetime in the making.

"I grew up in the '80s with the Bad Boys and the Pistons," Battier said. "They talked about hard fouls.

"We allowed them to get a lot of free movement and easy layups in the first two games. In the playoffs, you're going to have to earn points in the paint. We were on the floor a lot. They were putting us on the floor. Any time we get a chance to have a nice, clean, hard foul, you've got to take those opportunities."

Give defense some credit
After scoring 20 points in the series opener, Utah's leading scorer Carlos Boozer has been limited to 13 and 15 points by the Rockets.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan was asked how to get Boozer more involved in the offense.

"Tell them not to guard us?" he said. "Would that help? (Carl) Landry and those guys just went at us. They just knocked us around. If you can't stand up to it, you've got to go home.

"They get up and play him. (Dikembe) Mutombo's a tough guy to play against. We played against him when he was in Denver and Karl Malone was here. He's a tough matchup. You don't always get what you want, because he's so long and can block shots. When he plays, you've got to shoot over him."

Free-throw woes
Kyle Korver said much of the Jazz offensive difficulties came from their miserable 20-of-33 shooting of free throws Thursday.

"We weren't making free throws, and that kind of killed our offensive flow," Korver said. "I don't think we need to make any big adjustments. I don't think they will, either. Now it's just about playing."

Boozer open on last play
Replays showed a missed opportunity for the Jazz on Deron Williams' final drive to the hoop in Game 3 on Thursday. Just before Williams put up the shot that was blocked by Carl Landry, Carlos Boozer was open under the basket.

But Boozer wasn't complaining.

"No. I thought the time was running out and he had a good shot at the basket," Boozer said. "I didn't expect Landry to block it. I don't think (Williams) did, either. I thought he was going to make it and we go to overtime. My teammates told me I was wide-open. But if he could have got it to me, he would have. We know that."

The San Antonio-Phoenix series was supposed to be a spectacular first-round matchup of potential NBA champions. Instead, it's become a Spurs smackdown.

Tony Parker had a career-high 41 points along with 12 assists and San Antonio routed the Suns 115-99 on Friday night to take a 3-0 series lead.

The defending NBA champion Spurs never trailed in winning their ninth consecutive playoff game and 13th of 14, dating to last season. They can complete the sweep on Sunday in Phoenix. No NBA team has come back from 0-3 to win a series.

It's the first three-game losing streak for the Suns this season.

Phoenix acquired Shaquille O'Neal to better match up with the Spurs, but the Suns are one loss away from being swept in a seven-game series for the first time since the Los Angeles Lakers did it in the 1988-89 Western Conference finals.

Tim Duncan added 23 points and 10 rebounds and Manu Ginobili scored 20 points in the Spurs' fourth consecutive playoff road victory and ninth in their last 11.

But Parker did the most damage, often on a pick-and-roll that has flustered Phoenix all series. With three different defenders trying to stop him, he made 17-of-26 shots.

The Suns cut the lead to 13 points twice in the fourth quarter, the last on Raja Bell's 3-pointer with 7:35 to play, but Parker countered with his first 3 of the game and the Suns were finished.

The packed house in the Suns' first home game of the playoffs booed San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich's ``Hack-a-Shaq'' tactics in the first half, but they turned on the home team when the Spurs took a 23-point lead on Ginobili's 3-pointer with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead Phoenix, which was last swept in a series when Portland did it in a best-of-five matchup in 1998-99. Leandro Barbosa scored 20 points and O'Neal, who finished 9-for-17 from the free throw line, had 19. Steve Nash had seven points on 3-of-8 shooting with nine assists.

Phoenix took big early leads in the first two games in San Antonio. The Spurs were in control of this one from the start.

San Antonio made 10 of its first 13 shots, including five of six jumpers by Parker. A 17-4 outburst capped by Parker's 22-footer put the Spurs up 27-12.

Popovich went to the ``Hack-a-Shaq'' ploy, having Jacque Vaughn foul the big guy three straight times late in the first. O'Neal was called for crossing the free throw line on his first two tries, missed his next two, then made one of two.

Kurt Thomas, a surprise starter, converted a three-point play with .3 seconds left in the first quarter to put San Antonio up 33-19.

Barbosa scored 10 quick points as Phoenix cut the lead to 37-31 with 8:05 left in the half, but the Spurs scored the next seven points.

Popovich returned to purposely fouling O'Neal late in the second quarter after Brent Barry's 3-pointer put San Antonio ahead 57-43 with 58 seconds left in the half.

O'Neal made three of four free throws, but Parker's driving layup at the buzzer put the Spurs up 61-47.

Parker scored the first five points of the second half, including a three-point play that made it 66-47. Consecutive outside jumpers by Duncan put the Spurs up 70-50, and the boos began.

Notes: Columnists at both local newspapers ran said in Friday's editions that coach Mike D'Antoni's job could be in jeopardy if the team flops in the first round. ... The Suns' Grant Hill, nursing a sore groin, didn't start but played 20 minutes. ... Thomas, in his third start of the season and second for San Antonio, scored nine points.