The Hornets held on against the Nuggets to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole, but the Spurs and Jazz stumbled on their way to 1-3 deficits against the Mavericks and Lakers, respectively.

- New Orleans 95, Denver 93

Team FIC Differential: Hornets -1.8, Nuggets +1.8

Despite a furious rally by the Nuggets (2-1) in the final moments, the Hornets (1-2) hold on for a much-needed win on Saturday afternoon at New Orleans Arena. Chris Paul starred with 32 points and 12 assists, David West posted 19 points and 9 rebounds, and Rasual Butler scored 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting in the victory. New Orleans held Denver to 40% shooting, and used a slight advantage at the foul line at home. Carmelo Anthony had 25 points and 8 rebounds, Kenyon Martin tallied 12 points and 10 boards, and Chauncey Billups added 16 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Chris Paul, New Orleans ? 23.9

Carmelo Anthony, Denver ? 13.8

Chauncey Billups, Denver ? 13.5

Rasual Butler, New Orleans ? 13.0

- Dallas 99, San Antonio 90

Team FIC Differential: Mavericks +18.9, Spurs -18.9

The Mavericks (3-1) used a big edge in the third quarter to push the Spurs (1-3) to the brink of elimination at American Airlines Arena. Josh Howard had a team-high 28 points on 7-for-14 shooting, Dirk Nowitzki tallied 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Jason Kidd stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 7 boards and 7 assists in the win. Dallas hit just 38% of their shots from the field, but outrebounded San Antonio by 14 and went 33-for-39 from the foul line. Tony Parker starred with 43 points on 18-for-29 shooting, Tim Duncan posted 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, and the Spurs got just 22 points from the remainder of their roster. Parker and Duncan shot 59.5%, but their teammates made just 21.4% of their attempts.

Game FIC Scores

Tony Parker, San Antonio ? 25.5

Jason Kidd, Dallas ? 20.8

Tim Duncan, San Antonio ? 20.5

Josh Howard, Dallas ? 13.1

- Miami 107, Atlanta 78

Team FIC Differential: Heat +57.5, Hawks -57.5

The road woes of the Hawks (1-2) continued in a Game 3 loss to the Heat (2-1) on Saturday evening. Dwyane Wade had 29 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds, Jermaine O?Neal posted 22 points and 10 boards, and Udonis Haslem turned in 12 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Miami hit 46% of their shots, while limiting Atlanta to 36% on the night. The Heat also won the rebounding battle by 13, and went 19-for-19 from the foul line. Mike Bibby had 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting, Josh Smith tallied 13 points and 8 rebounds, and Al Horford chipped in 13 points and 7 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 26.6

Udonis Haslem, Miami ? 18.5

Al Horford, Atlanta ? 13.3

Josh Smith, Atlanta ? 6.1

- L.A. Lakers 108, Utah 94

Team FIC Differential: Lakers +7.0, Jazz -7.0

The Lakers (3-1) used a 24-point advantage over the second and third quarters to defeat the Jazz (1-3) at Energy Solutions Arena. Kobe Bryant led with 38 points and 6 rebounds, Pau Gasol tallied 13 points and 10 boards, and Lamar Odom put up 10 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists in the win. Los Angeles shot 51% from the field, while outrebounding Utah by seven. Deron Williams had 23 points and 13 assists, Carlos Boozer posted 23 points and 16 boards, and Andrei Kirilenko scored 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting the loss, which pushed the Jazz to within one defeat of elimination.

Game FIC Scores

Carlos Boozer, Utah ? 23.5

Deron Williams, Utah ? 23.1

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles ? 21.6

Lamar Odom, Los Angeles ? 19.4

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season