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Mavs seek 20th straight win over Hornets

Dec 1, 2007 - 2:19 PM Dallas (11-5) at New Orleans (11-6) 8:00 pm EST

NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) - The Dallas Mavericks aim to continue their dominance of the New Orleans Hornets when the teams meet Saturday.

Dallas has won 19 straight meetings against the Hornets, with its last loss on January 24, 1998. The Hornets were located in Charlotte when they last beat the Mavs.

Following a three-game losing streak, the Mavs have won consecutive contests, including a 91-80 triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. Josh Howard scored 23 points to pace the Mavs.

Former Hornets forward Brandon Bass has become a valuable player for Mavericks coach Avery Johnson. The 2005 second-round pick is averaging 9.9 points and 5.1 rebounds.

Saturday's matchup also features an interesting backcourt battle between two young floor generals in Chris Paul of New Orleans and Dallas rising star Devin Harris.

Paul ranks among the league leaders in assists (10.4), while the 24-year-old Harris is off to his best start in four seasons as a pro.

David West scored 12 of his 22 points in the third quarter and Paul added 20 to lead the Hornets to a 92-86 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

"(Paul) started it off," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "He got off to a great start, pretty much making everything. In the second half, David started taking over a little bit. It was big. We needed both of them to play well."