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Injury-riddled Hornets look to stay in playoff hunt

Apr 7, 2007 - 3:09 PM New Orleans (35-41) at Minnesota (32-43) 8:00 pm EDT

MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) - A rash of injuries could not have come at worse time for the New Orleans Hornets, who will try to keep their fading playoff hopes alive when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.

The Hornets were without three starters - star guard Chris Paul (ankle), forward Tyson Chandler (toe) and swingman Desmond Mason (nose, cheekbone) - in Friday's 103-95 loss to Phoenix. All three were injured in Wednesday's 101-92 overtime victory over Seattle.

That setback dumped the Hornets three games behind the Los Angeles Clippers (37-37) for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with six contests left.

"Without some of our guys, it was obviously a bit tougher," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "But the window is still open, and we have a chance (for the playoffs). As long as we still have a window, we are going to go compete until it's closed."

After Saturday's contest, the Hornets face the Clippers on Tuesday.

The Timberwolves posted a 99-94 victory over New York on Friday. Rookie Randy Foye scored 19 points and made a crucial play on the offensive glass in the waning seconds to secure the victory.

However, Minnesota is just 7-16 since the All-Star break and is 5 1/2 games behind the Clippers for the eighth spot. The Wolves have not made the playoffs since 2004.