The Hornets are back home at last and ready to take on the Mavericks tonight at 7 Central. It will be a game-time decision as to whether Chris Paul will play.

The Mavericks are 46-23 on the season, 22-12 on the road, and had won 13 straight before dropping two of their last three. On Saturday they fell to the Celtics in Dallas, 93-102, despite 28 points from Dirk Nowitzki. Erick Dampier returned from injury a week ago, but has since seen limited minutes and has struggled somewhat.

The Mavs are currently a half game behind the Denver Nuggets for the 2-seed in the West, looking to snatch that and avoid the Lakers for as long as possible in the playoffs.

The 33-38 Hornets are coming off that 1-4 road trip and are just 8-17 since Chris Paul got injured. David West was ejected from Saturday’s game against the Jazz for a hard foul on Kyle Korver, but upon review the NBA has downgraded the foul from a flagrant 2 to a flagrant 1.

This the fourth and final meeting between the Hornets and Mavs this season. Dallas leads the season series 2-1. The Hornets lone win came in overtime back on November 4, thanks in large part to the Mavs missing a bunch of free throws. In their most recent showdown on February 28, Darren Collison poured in 35 points, but Nowitzki scored 36 of his own and had more help en route to a 108-100 Mavs win.

Numbers:

Pace: Mavericks 94.7 (17th), Hornets 95.0 (15th)
Offensive Efficiency: Mavericks 106.8 (10th), Hornets 104.3 (18th)
Defensive Efficiency: Mavericks 103.6 (12th), Hornets 106.6 (21st)

Linkage:

• Earlier on the blog: Chris Paul returns this week
• Journals: An Appetizing Offseason
• Rival bloggers: Mavs Moneyball | The Two Man Game (THN)
  

(Many thanks to Dariusz for today’s banner featuring Chris Paul. Be sure to check out more of Dariusz’s designs in our Wallpapers vault.)