Struggling Hornets visit Utah

Utah plays the finale of a three-game homestand. Deron Williams finished with 17 points and six assists to help the Jazz defeat the Indiana Pacers, 94-72, on Wednesday at EnergySolutions Arena.

All-Star forward Carlos Boozer ended with 14 points and 16 rebounds in the win over the Pacers for Utah, which has won five in a row and 13 of its last 15 games overall. Matt Harpring also scored 14, while veteran guard Derek Fisher netted 11 in the victory.

The Jazz are 24-7 at home this season. After tonight’s contest, they will embark on a four-game road trip. Utah will visit Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia and Cleveland on the upcoming swing.

Utah owns a comfortable 12 1/2 game lead over the second place Denver Nuggets in the Northwest.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City has dropped four in a row and concludes a three-game road trip this evening. On Friday, Amare Stoudemire poured in 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Phoenix survived a late scare and held off the Hornets 104-103, at US Airways Center.

Devin Brown and David West both contributed 19 points for the Hornets, who have lost five of their last six games overall. Jannero Pargo netted 15 and Chris Paul scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds in defeat.

The Hornets are 9-22 on the road this season. They return home to host the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday at the Ford Center.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City is 1 1/2 games behind the Clippers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

This is the third and final meeting of the regular season between the clubs. The teams split the previous two contests, as both squads picked up a win at the Ford Center.

The Hornets have lost two of three and three of their last five at Utah.