Race to avoid 8: the Butler did it

The Mavericks picked up a game on Utah in the standings last night. They should have picked up a game on New Orleans, but didn't.

The reason: Rasual Butler came off a screen and hit a wide open three-pointer as time expired to give the Hornets a win over Sacramento.

The focus has been on the Jazz or possibly Portland sliding back to Dallas in the battle to avoid the No. 8 seed. Include the Hornets in that group. Starters Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler and sixth man James Posey are out with injuries. New Orleans had to start Hilton Armstrong and Julian Wright against the Kings, which isn't going to win many games.

Oh yeah. David West sprained his ankle in the win over Sacramento and it's unlikely he'll play tonight against the LA Clippers.

The Jazz will struggle in April because they struggle on the road. The Hornets will struggle because of injuries. We're about to see if the Mavericks can do anything about it.

_ David Moore