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Nowitzki, Mavs hope to avoid elimination

Apr 29, 2008 - 2:33 PM Dallas at New Orleans 7:00 pm EDT Western Conference first round Hornets lead, 3-1

NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) - The Dallas Mavericks are on the verge of watching another impressive season go down the drain.

The seventh-seeded Mavericks look to avoid elimination against the New Orleans Hornets when they meet Tuesday in Game Five of their opening round Western Conference series.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 22 points and Jason Terry added 20, but Dallas lost a 97-84 decision Sunday in Game Four, and fell behind three games to one.

As the top seed last season, the Mavericks were upset by eighth-seeded Golden State in six games in the opening round.

"I don't really have an answer for it," Nowitzki said. "All season long, we've lost leads way too quick. ... Everybody has to be in attack mode. You have to make shots to win in this league."

David West had 24 points and nine rebounds and Chris Paul added 16, eight assists and seven boards in the win for New Orleans, which could advance to the next round for the first round since relocating from Charlotte.

"It's a great feeling to be up 3-1, but it doesn't mean too much right now," Paul said. "It's tough to close out a team, to get that fourth win. That's what coach has been preaching to us. We feel pretty confident going back in front of our fans."

The speedy Paul has dominated Dallas here in the series, collecting at least 30 points and 10 assists in two games.

Hornets guard Jannero Pargo remains the lone spark off the bench for coach Byron Scott, who is likely to be named Coach of the Year.

The Mavericks' Josh Howard had just six points in Game Four and has been a distraction for the team, admitting in a radio interview Friday that he uses marijuana during the offseason.