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Mavs have 20-game winning streak against Hornets

Mar 27, 2007 - 1:04 PM Dallas (58-11) at New Orleans (32-38) 8:00 pm EDT

OKLAHOMA CITY (Ticker) -- Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets have an unenviable task ahead of them.

The Dallas Mavericks have won 20 straight against the Hornets, heading into Tuesday's contest at Oklahoma City. The streak dates to 1999, when the Hornets were located in Charlotte.

Paul scored 28 points and added five assists in New Orleans' 106-94 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday.

With just 12 games left, New Orleans is tied with the Golden State Warriors (33-39) and trail the Los Angeles Clippers (34-36) by two games for the eighth playoff spot.

The Hornets still have two games to play against the Clippers, but are done playing the Warriors, who hold a tiebreaker edge over them.

Meanwhile, Dallas has won six in a row and 23 of its last 25.

The Mavericks hold a 5 1/2-game lead over the Phoenix Suns (53-17) for homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

Josh Howard led Dallas with 28 points in a 104-97 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

Dirk Nowitzki, who is vying for his first MVP award, is averaging 21.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in his career against the Hornets.

This is the first meeting between the teams this season.