Asked Monday to compare Gregg Popovich with Phil Jackson, Robert Horry said, "Phil wouldn't yell at his top dogs. Pop will yell at the top dogs, just like he yells at the bottom dogs."

With 2:19 to go in what wasn't a totally lost cause Tuesday night, Popovich sent his stars a loud message without saying a word.

Popovich yanked Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili from Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals with his team down just 12 points, clearly disgusted in their effort and the performance of the Spurs in general.

We'll see how the defending champs respond when they face elimination at home Thursday night in Game 6.

The Spurs haven't played an elimination game since they faced Dallas in the 2006 playoffs. They handled themselves well then, winning two in succession to tie the series at 3-3 before falling in overtime of Game 7.

Should the home team win for the sixth consecutive time in the series Thursday, the teams will be fully rested when they take the court for Game 7. It is scheduled for Monday.

HORNETS 101, SPURS 79: Tim Duncan was hot. David West wasn't. Or so the story went entering Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Credit the New Orleans home-court advantage for flipping that around.

West had the playoff game of his life, not only breaking through for 38 points but also helping hold Duncan to 10, dominating the power forward matchup as the Hornets drove the Spurs to the brink of elimination with a runaway win.

The best-of-7 returns to San Antonio for Game 6 on Thursday.

Duncan wasn't the only Spur who came up short Tuesday. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili combined to miss four consecutive shots in a 20-4 Hornets run that opened the second half and turned the game in their favor for good.

Despite missing 10 of his 15 shots, Ginobili led the Spurs with 20 points.

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