We're no longer the most embarrassing team in playoff history!

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T-1. 58 points: Minneapolis Lakers 133, St. Louis Hawks 75 (March 19, 1956)
The Lakers were perennial winners of the first decade of the NBA (or the NBL as it was originally called). Heading into the 1956 playoffs, they weren’t their dominant selves despite winning three of the previous four titles.

In the Western Division semifinals, they were up against the rising St. Louis Hawks, who were led by the 1956 All-Star Game MVP in Bob Pettit. The Hawks won the first game and would advance with one more victory in the best-of-three series. The Lakers, however, were ready to punch back when the teams met at the Minneapolis Auditorium for Game 2.

Led by future Hall of Famers Slater Martin, George Mikan, Clyde Lovellette and Vern Mikkelsen, the Lakers outscored the Hawks by at least 10 points in each quarter and scored 36 in each of the last three of them. All 10 of their players scored in double digits, while Pettit shot just 4 of 15 from the floor for St. Louis.

Despite the huge victory, the Lakers did go on to lose the series with a one-point loss at home in Game 3. The Hawks wouldn’t go much further either, falling to the Fort Wayne Pistons in five games in the West finals.

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T-1. 58 points: Denver Nuggets 121, New Orleans Hornets 63 (April 27, 2009)
The then-Hornets hosted Game 4 of their first-round series against the Nuggets looking to avoid falling into a 3-1 deficit on their home court. They had barely done so in the previous game after losing by double-digits in the first two in Denver.

Things didn’t go according to plan as poor shooting and a slew of turnovers from the likes of Chris Paul and David West led to the hosts falling behind by 21 points in the first quarter. The Hornets still had an outside chance down 61-39 at halftime, but that’s when Denver put the clamps on.

Led by Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets forced the Hornets into bad shots while making them pay on the other end. The hosts went 3 for 12 from the field in the third quarter and were outscored 27-11. The game was already over by then, but JR Smith decided to deliver another knockout punch as he scored 10 points in the fourth and Denver outscored the hapless hosts by 20 in the final period.

The Nuggets ended up with a 58-point margin of victory and would go on to the Western Conference semifinals. Anthony led the way with 26 points, seven assists, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Chris Paul, meanwhile, had a night to forget, finishing with just four points on 2-of-7 shooting and committing six turnovers.

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I think the hornets still own the worst home playoff loss in history. Unfortunately I was at that game….

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