So much for playoff experience. Chris Paul had 35 points and 10 assists in his first career playoff game last night, lifting the New Orleans Hornets to a 104-92 come-from-behind victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their first-round series. David West also scored 23 points to help New Orleans storm back from a 12-point halftime deficit and win going away.
Dirk Nowitzki had his way with New Orleans early and finished with 31 points, but scored only four during Dallas' fourth-quarter collapse. Josh Howard added 17 points for the Mavericks, a team that hasn't missed the playoffs in eight seasons and was in the finals two years ago. All-Star point guard Jason Kidd finished with 11 points and nine assists. (More NBA stories.)