One of those so-this-is-what-they're-talking-about moments.

For Hornets backup center Hilton Armstrong, perhaps that instant of enlightenment occurred during New Orleans' 25-point rout Nov. 20 in Oklahoma City with 3:15 to go in the second quarter.

Banging inside against Thunder big man Chris Wilcox, 6 feet 10, 235 pounds, Armstrong punctuated a 20-2 New Orleans run with a monster slam dunk and an and-one free-throw that opened up a 24-point Hornets lead.

Suddenly, all that extra time put in before and after practice, the additional running and shooting, the mental edge that was being honed, all came together.

Armstrong would go on to score 13 points, his season high and a nice way to start off a birthday weekend celebration: Armstrong turned 24 two days later. However, more important, according to Coach Byron Scott, Armstrong might just have discovered that he did belong in the NBA.

And that realization couldn't have come at a more opportune time for the Hornets as they faced a three-game West Coast road trip, the second game of which takes place tonight before a national television audience on TNT against the formidable Denver Nuggets.

"The biggest problem with Hilton is his confidence," Scott said. "We have more confidence in him than he has in himself. Hopefully, now he sees he can be very productive for us on the post. Because it's something we think he's been able to do for a while.

"It takes a guy that age, that young, it takes them a few years. Obviously, he wasn't CP (Chris Paul) when he came into the league. But we knew he has the ability to be a very, very good Basketball player in this league."

Which is why in 2006 the Hornets invested a first-round pick in Armstrong, a former University of Connecticut player.

Armstrong has been taking the steps to solidify his position as Tyson Chandler's primary backup and his recent play has reinforced the hours he has invested in improving.

"I've definitely got to try and keep this up so I can keep it on a consistent basis rather than just spurts," Armstrong said. "If I get the opportunity, I'm going to take advantage of it.

"It's just a mind-set. I've been in the right place at the right time, and I'm getting the ball a little more. So I've got to take advantage of it when I can. It wasn't happening too much in the past, so I'm trying to earn the confidence of my teammates and be aggressive."

The Hornets are on a three-game winning streak for the first time since the first three games of the season.

But those three victories (two vs. Oklahoma City, one against the Los Angeles Clippers) came against teams with a combined record of 3-25.

The workload increases the next two nights with back-to-backs against Western Conference playoff contenders -- tonight in Denver, Friday night in Portland, where Armstrong's 15 minutes or so could come against Greg Oden, the Trail Blazers' rookie who posted the first double-double of his career in an 87-82 Hornets victory on Nov. 14.

Scott is hoping Armstrong's newly discovered fierceness, which surfaced in that OKC game nearly a week ago, manifests itself again.

"That was the most aggressive I've seen him since he's been here," Scott said. "When he caught the ball, he made definitive moves. He didn't wait. So his attack mode was much more evident. Hopefully, that will continue for Hilton, because I thought it was really good.

"We've been trying to get him to be aggressive like that, and I think also he's just trying to feel what it's like to be down there on a consistent basis and what he has to do to be successful. Hopefully, after he sees some of the tape and how he played, he can play like that on an every-night basis."

. . . . . . .

Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3814.