On Saturday night, San Antonio searched in vain for an answer to New Orleans’ David West.

They found none, and West scored 30 points and had nine rebounds.

Monday night, they did.

Photo by Alex Brandon / The Associated Press

New Orleans guard Chris Paul (3) celebrates with teammates Hilton Armstrong, left, Morris Peterson and Tyson Chandler, right, after Game 2 Monday. The Hornets won 102-84.

And it still didn’t matter.

Chris Paul being Chris Paul, he took over another playoff game with another virtuoso performance, putting up 30 points and recording 12 assists.

The result – another Hornets rout of the defending NBA champion Spurs, this time 102-84.

“The thing about CP, he just takes what the defense gives us,” Hornets sixth man Jannero Pargo said. “Tonight, they pretty much gave him the lane. They forced him to make shots and keep everybody else out.”

Call it a mistake. Nearly half of Paul’s points came in the paint, and nearly half his assists came after penetrating the lane and finding the open player on the outside.

And again, late in the fourth quarter, a good portion of the 17,927 fans in attendance shouted the letters MVP in unison.

He may not win the league’s overall MVP award, but there’s little doubt who has guided the Hornets to a 2-0 Western Conference semis lead over San Antonio.

Asked what Paul’s impact on the game was, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich simply answered, “I guess the best way to put is that’s an MVP candidate. MVP candidates have an impact on the game big time. He’s a great player.”

The third quarter was where Paul did his damage, his 13 points directing the Hornets through a mid-quarter burst.

Up 60-53 following two Manu Ginobili free throws, Paul stepped back and nailed a 25-foot 3-pointer. Two minutes later, he sank two free throws. A minute after that, two more foul shots.

And then, with the Hornets up 74-59, he assisted on a Peja Stojakovic jumper. But he wasn’t done, flying down the floor at the end of the quarter for a lay-up with 1.6 seconds to play.

“CP took over the game,” Morris Peterson said. “He took over the first two games. It’s unbelievable watching him play because he does so many spectacular things and you forget you’re on the court with him.”

Paul ended the first game with a fourth-quarter flurry. He carried it into Monday night.

“In the first game, I think he came out and just wanted to feel out the defense a little bit,” Tyson Chandler said. “They did a good job of staying with our shooters in the first game. I think he caught onto that in the second half and it kind of carried on into this game.”

There’s a reason Paul looked more aggressive in Game 2. He was told to be.

“Our coaching staff and David West were getting on me in Game 1,” Paul said. “They said I passed up a lot of shots. I knew when I got in the lane, the only way to get these guys open was to score as much as possible.”

The Hornets can only hope he continues to try to get his teammates open.