Just days after clinching the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks have a chance to move into sole possession of the sixth seed.

The Dallas Mavericks look to snap a six-game road losing streak against New Orleans on Sunday at New Orleans Arena when they try for a home-and-home series sweep of the Hornets.

GAME: Dallas Mavericks (48-31) at New Orleans Hornets (48-31)
DATE/TIME: Sunday, April 12 - 1:00 PM EST
SPREAD: New Orleans -3 TOTAL: 193
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Oddsmakers currently have the Hornets listed as 3-point favorites versus the Mavericks, while the game's total is sitting at 193.

The Mavericks were badly outplayed in the fourth quarter but came away with a 100-92 victory over the Hornets on Friday. The Mavericks covered the 7-point spread, but the 192 points fell UNDER the posted total of 196.

Josh Howard led the Mavericks with 25 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Dirk Nowitzki also had 25 points in that win.

The Mavericks have lost their last six visits to New Orleans, including three postseason games in 2007-08 when the Hornets knocked Dallas out in five in the first round. Josh Howard, who also had 25 points on Friday, is averaging only 12.2 points on 31.3 percent shooting during the skid.

After spending nearly seven weeks clinging to the No. 8 seed in the West, Dallas (48-31) appears to be heading into the postseason with some momentum, having won three straight and five of six. Its last two wins have been especially important.

The Hornets were defeated 102-92 by the Mavericks last time out, as 7-point underdogs. The 192 points fell UNDER the posted total of 196.

Chris Paul poured in a game-high 42 points with nine rebounds and seven assists in a losing effort.
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Current streak:
Dallas has won 3 straight games.
New Orleans has lost 2 straight games.

Team records:
Dallas: 48-31 SU, 39-40 ATS
New Orleans: 48-31 SU, 33-44-2 ATS

Dallas most recently:
When playing on Sunday are 4-6
Before playing Minnesota are 7-3
After playing New Orleans are 6-4
After a win are 6-4

New Orleans most recently:
When playing on Sunday are 4-6
Before playing Houston are 6-4
After playing Dallas are 7-3
After a loss are 5-5

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games on the road
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing New Orleans
Dallas is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing New Orleans
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New Orleans's last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Orleans's last 6 games when playing Dallas
New Orleans is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Dallas
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