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Hornets-Jazz Preview

Mar 20, 2010 - 6:32 AM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

New Orleans (33-37) at Utah (44-25), 9:00 p.m. EDT

Injuries appear to be taking their toll on the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz, suddenly losing ground in the race for playoff position, look to bounce back from one of their worst shooting games of the season as they host the struggling New Orleans Hornets on Saturday night.

With 13 games left to play, Utah (44-25) is in danger of losing its hold on fourth place in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Jazz lost a key matchup in that race Friday night, 110-100 against Phoenix.

"Forget about it and move onto the next one," Jazz point guard Deron Williams said.

Utah, which has lost three of its last five, leads Oklahoma City and the Suns by one game.

Even the Jazz's usually sharp shooting has been faltering at times.

Utah was leading the league in shooting prior to making 38.6 percent of its attempts in Phoenix. The Jazz are now shooting 48.9 percent this season, dropping behind the Suns (49.1 percent). Utah went 0 for 9 from beyond the arc, seven days after going 0 for 10 in a 95-87 loss to Milwaukee.

Injuries certainly aren't helping. Williams faced Phoenix after being considered a game-time decision due to a bruised left shoulder and mild left ankle sprain. He's averaging 11.0 points while shooting 33.3 percent over his last two games.

Utah has been without forward Andrei Kirilenko (calf) in three of the last four games, and center Mehmet Okur left in the second quarter Friday due to a stomach ailment. It's unclear if they'll play against New Orleans (33-37).

Rookie guard Wesley Matthews played against the Suns despite a left knee injury. Matthews, who was undrafted, has started 16 straight games, averaging 11.6 points and shooting 43.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Perhaps the only drama left in New Orleans' season is whether point guard Chris Paul will be back in the lineup soon. The All-Star, who underwent left knee surgery Feb. 4 and has missed 24 straight games, is reportedly close to returning.

Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic (groin) has missed six straight games. He may return sometime next week.

New Orleans, though, is close to being eliminated from playoff contention, trailing eighth-place Portland by 9 1/2 games. The Hornets, concluding a five-game road trip, have lost nine of 11.

"I don't think we have been talking about whether or not we can get into the playoffs, so much as we have been talking about trying to find a level of competitiveness to go out and play in these games," Hornets forward David West said. "Every game, if we get better and find ways to improve - whether it's defensively or making changes offensively - we'll give ourselves a chance to win that next game on our schedule."

With rookie Darren Collison starting for Paul, New Orleans has had some careless moments. The Hornets have committed 39 turnovers over their last two games, 13 by Collison.

Collison, though, has been providing strong scoring, posting 15 points in a 93-80 loss to Denver on Thursday night. He's averaging 19.3 points and 10.0 assists in his last 24 games.

Collison had 24 points and nine assists in New Orleans' 98-90 loss to Utah on Feb. 17, the teams' last meeting. The Hornets won this season's other matchup with the Jazz 91-87 on Jan. 4.