DALLAS (Ticker) -- Antoine Walker showed he can fit into the Dallas Mavericks' high-octane offense.
Walker scored a season-high 21 points as the Mavericks remained perfect at home with a 125-97 rout of the New Orleans Hornets.
Walker was acquired from the Boston Celtics in a preseason trade, but there have been questions about how he would adjust to taking fewer shots. Against New Orleans, he was efficient, going 9-of-16 from the field.
"We moved the ball real well," Walker said. "We shot the basketball at a high level. When you have the opportunity to score 120 points, getting a lot of guys in double figures, you can really share the basketball and use all of your abilities."
After a 19-9 run gave the Mavericks a 37-23 lead with 31 seconds left in the first quarter, the closest the Hornets got was six points on a jumper by Baron Davis two minutes into the third period.
Dallas broke open the game with a 23-2 spurt. Danny Fortson, who totaled nine points and 11 rebounds, capped the surge and gave the Mavericks an 89-62 lead on a dunk with 3:23 left in the third.
"Our defense didn't show up," Hornets forward P.J. Brown said. "We just have to get a better effort from the defensive end. Giving up 125 points, you are not going to beat anybody in this league."
Davis scored 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting for the Hornets, but it was not nearly enough to keep them from losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.
"Our three losses have come when we don't focus, when we don't prepare for games," Davis said. "It's not our coach's fault. It's nobody's fault but ours. When we come with a mind-frame that we are going to work and we are focused and mentally prepared for the game, then we come out and we play well. We scored enough points to win, but we couldn't stop anybody."
The Mavericks connected at 58 percent (54-of-93) from the field, and that hot shooting extended to garbage time. Josh Howard scored a season-high seven points on 3-of-3 shooting, while fellow rookie Marquis Daniels had six points in eight minutes.
"The two kids can play," Mavericks coach Don Nelson said. "I'm gonna tell you right now, the two boys can play."
Dallas placed six scorers in double figures, including Antawn Jamison and Travis Best, who had 12 points apiece off the bench.
Steve Nash led Dallas with 11 assists. The Mavericks had 40 assists on 54 baskets and committed just 16 turnovers.
"To get 40 assists in an NBA game is not an easy thing to do," Nelson said. "We had not been close to any numbers like that."
Nash also scored 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range, pleasing a coach who had been prodding him not to pass up open shots.
