Denver Nuggets: 15 greatest playoff moments of all-time

8. Nuggets humiliate Hornets with 58-point, blowout victory

• 2009 Western Conference Quarterfinals, Game 4
• April 27, 2009 (New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA)
• Denver Nuggets 121, New Orleans Hornets 63

For the third and final time, we have ourselves a game from the Nuggets’ first-round series with the then-New Orleans Hornets from the 2009 Western Conference Playoffs. We have touched on Carmelo Anthony’s excellent Game 5 to close out the series and Chauncey Billups’ awesome Game 1 to give the Nuggets early momentum in the series.

That being said, the biggest game of note from this first-round series with the Hornets in 2009 was a total team effort in Game 4. Yes, this is the one where the Nuggets absolutely eviscerated the Hornets on their own court with a soul-crushing, 58-point, blowout victory.

Denver set an NBA record for the most lopsided margin of victory in a playoff game by beating the tar out of the Hornets, 121-63. The Nuggets narrowly fell to the Hornets on the road in Game 3, 95-93. With the Hornets potentially about to hold serve and make the series two games apiece through four games, the Nuggets wanted no part of that whatsoever.

It started with a bang, as the Nuggets put up 36 points in the first quarter to the Hornets’ underwhelming 15. The Hornets responded with their best quarter of the night in the second, but were down big at halftime.

Denver responded triumphantly with a straight up beatdown of the Hornets in the second half. The Nuggets outscored New Orleans 27-11 in the third quarter and 33-13 in the final frame. While putting up 60 points in the second half was impressive, holding the Hornets to just 24 points in the final two quarters was nothing short of stupendous.

As a team, the Nuggets held the Hornets to 31.3 percent shooting from the field all game, including a dreadful 13.3 percent from beyond the arc. Denver was able to expand its lead over the Hornets with each quarter.

Outscoring New Orleans by 20 points in the fourth quarter was essentially the Hornets conceding the series to Denver. Then again, having seven players on the opposing team score in double figures in a home playoff game shouldn’t be anything less than disheartening. The Nuggets were simply better and everybody knew.

Denver would advance to the conference semifinals for the first time since Dikembe Mutombo was the Nuggets’ star player playing for the iconic Dan Issel. The Nuggets would face Dirk Nowitzki in the next round, hoping to get back to the conference finals for the first time since the 1980s. But let’s not forget that Denver’s humiliation of New Orleans proved that the Nuggets belonged among the Western Conference elite, at least for the time being.