DALLAS -- All indications are that the Mavericks will make their best effort to beat the Hornets and then see how the seeds fall.

There is a school of thought that the Mavs might as well rest their horses, figuring that it’s a long shot for the Lakers to lose to the Kings with the West’s No. 2 seed at stake. The Mavs would drop to the fourth seed if they lose to New Orleans and Oklahoma City wins at home against Milwaukee, but that might actually be to the Mavs’ benefit. There’s not much difference degree of difficulty between fifth seed Denver and sixth seed Portland, and a strong argument could be made that the Mavs would much rather match up with the Spurs instead of the Lakers in the second round.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle will leave that discussion to the media and fans. His focus at the moment is on trying to beat the Hornets.

"We want to put ourselves in a position to be there if it’s a possibility," Carlisle said. "I don’t think there’s ever a downside to trying to play well and be a higher seed if you can."

Carlisle described the Mavs’ regular-season finale as an “important game” – for seeding and progress entering the playoffs – but he declined to reveal whether any Dallas regulars would rest.

Jason Kidd, however, said he would play against the Hornets. If Kidd's in the lineup, it's a safe bet that the rest of the starters will be, too. The 38-year-old point guard took a couple of games off last week and said he feels fresh despite playing in back-to-back games upon his return.

“I feel great and look forward to getting a little bit more work tonight and then getting ready for Saturday or Sunday,” Kidd said.