NBA standings 2012: Dallas trying to stay in Southwest race

Two straight losses have dropped the Dallas Mavericks to a game under .500 as the team tries to stay in the Western Conference race.

At 11-12, Dallas is already 6.5 games behind San Antonio in the Southwest Division. The Spurs, who have the second-best record in the conference at 18-6, are on a mini-skid, having lost two straight after winning five in a row. Luckily for them, the rest of their division foes have been unable to make up ground. Memphis, sitting at second in the division at 14-6, is on a three-game losing streak, and last-place New Orleans has lost six straight to fall to 5-17.

Houston has won two straight and has pulled ahead of Dallas at 11-11. Before that, the Rockets had lost three in a row, with two defeats against San Antonio sandwiching a loss to Dallas. The Rockets are just 3-10 in the conference and 1-4 in the division.

Overall, Oklahoma City has the best record in the West with a 19-4 mark. San Antonio is second, followed by the Los Angeles Clippers (16-6), Memphis, Golden State (15-8), Minnesota (11-9), Utah (13-11), and then a tie between Houston and Denver (12-12) for the eighth spot in the league. Dallas is ninth, half-a-game ahead of Portland (10-12).