Chris Paul contributed 30 points and 12 assists and Peja Stojakovic scored 25 to lead the New Orleans Hornets to a 102-84 victory over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs to take a commanding lead in their Western Conference semi-final series.
Morris Peterson scored 12 points and David West contributed 10 and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who became the first team since 2001 to put the Spurs in a 2-0 hole.
Tony Parker's three-pointer from the left corner right before the buzzer helped San Antonio forge a 43-42 advantage at intermission, but New Orleans regained the momentum in the third for the second consecutive game.
Stojakovic and Peterson combined for 12 points during a 16-6 surge to open the second half, giving the Hornets a 58-49 advantage with 6:56 remaining.
Paul's driving lay-up at the horn extended the lead to 17 points for the Hornets, who held a commanding 65-35 edge in points through the last two third quarters.
The Spurs drew within 85-76 on a three-pointer from reigning Sixth Man of the Year Manu Ginobili at 6:58 mark.
However, Paul's alley-oop pass to Tyson Chandler sparked a 12-0 burst to put the game out of reach for game with two minutes left.
San Antonio's Tim Duncan bounced back from his post-season career low in Game One with 18 points and eight rebounds, while reigning NBA Finals MVP Parker finished with just 11 points in 37 minutes.
Chauncey Billups scored 28 points to lead all five starters in double figures as the Detroit Pistons held on for a 100-93 victory over the Orlando Magic to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final series.
Rasheed Wallace poured in 17 points and fellow All-Star Richard Hamilton added 14 for Detroit, who are just two games away from reaching the conference final for the sixth season in a row.
Jameer Nelson's three-pointer with 1:54 remaining in the fourth quarter pulled Orlando within 93-91, but the Magic lost their floor general on the next offensive possession after he fouled out just 31 seconds later.
Orlando made it a one point deficit on Dwight Howard's tip-dunk at the 1:02 mark, but the Magic came away empty on several possessions and the Pistons hit key free throws down the stretch to seal the win.