Dirk Nowitzki

Dallas Mavericks star forward Dirk Nowitzki questionable with sprained ankle

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki is questionable for Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers because of a sprained left ankle.

Nowitzki had to be helped off the court after he got hurt late in the first quarter of Wednesday night's 103-95 victory at Seattle. X-rays were negative.

There was no availability with the Mavericks on Thursday, when they travelled home from Seattle. But the team issued a release that said no MRI was planned for Nowitzki.

Nowitzki had six points before he was hurt following a missed free throw by teammate Jerry Stackhouse.

Seattle's Chris Wilcox jumped for the rebound and was bumped by DeSagana Diop of the Mavericks. Wilcox fell to the ground, his legs spreading and his left foot hitting Nowitzki just above his left foot, causing the all-star's ankle to roll.

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki helped off court with left leg injury

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki was helped off the court with 2:05 left in the first quarter on Wednesday night after spraining his left ankle against the Seattle SuperSonics.

X-rays on Nowitzki's ankle were negative and the team said he would be re-evaluated when the Mavericks return to Dallas. The Mavericks host the Clippers on Friday night.

Nowitzki was hurt following a missed free throw by teammate Jerry Stackhouse.

Seattle's Chris Wilcox jumped for the rebound and was bumped by DeSagana Diop of the Mavericks. Wilcox fell to the ground, his legs spreading and his left foot hitting Nowitzki just above his left foot, causing the all-star's ankle to roll.

Nowitzki was down on the floor for a few minutes before being carried back to the locker room by two teammates.

Nowitzki had six points in the first quarter.

Nowitzki, Howard power Mavericks' offence in 109 91 win over Kings

Josh Howard slid into the lane, drew contact from Ron Artest and nimbly banked in his shot.

On Dallas' next possession, Dirk Nowitzki coolly drained a 17-foot fallaway jumper with Artest's hand squarely in his face.

Even the Kings' best defender had no clue how to stop the sharpshooting Mavericks, who turned their latest trip to Sacramento into a laugher with another stellar scoring show.

Nowitzki had 29 points and 13 rebounds, Howard scored 28 points and the Mavs beat the Kings 109-91 on Monday night for their fourth straight victory.

Jason Terry scored 22 points for the Mavericks, who have won 18 of 21 after starting the season 0-4. The defending Western Conference champions never trailed in their eighth win in 12 trips to Arco Arena, turning it into a blowout with a 16-4 rally in the fourth quarter.

While the Kings falter with injuries and sketchy teamwork under new coach Eric Musselman's system, Dallas is humming with the experience of last season's playoff run and Avery Johnson's steady hand at the controls. Nowitzki has seen improvement in almost every game after the Mavericks' slow start.

``We've just been playing well together, and everybody is really shooting well,'' Nowitzki said. ``Josh is amazing, too. He's been getting off to hot starts like that one almost every night. It's been really fun to watch him growing up in this league.''

Howard made nine of his first 10 shots _ mostly against Artest's defence _ and finished two points shy of his career high. Nowitzki made his final five shots and scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to finish off the Kings, hitting a jumper with 5:24 left that put Dallas up by 20.

Sacramento's 18 offensive rebounds were just about the only facet of the game Johnson didn't like _ and he again heaped praise on Howard, who's getting attention as a possible all-star in his third NBA season.

``That was just about me playing my game, and I think my guys feed off me,'' Howard said. ``(Artest) is a great defender, so I just try to maximize any opportunity he gives you.''

Brad Miller scored 19 points and Kenny Thomas had 15 points and 15 rebounds for the Kings, who have lost eight of 10 to fall three games below .500. Playing without injured scoring leader Kevin Martin, Sacramento lost for the sixth time in nine games in what was once the NBA's most intimidating arena for road teams.

The clubs once had one of the West's liveliest rivalries, but Dallas has dominated recently, including a 19-point victory in Texas on Dec. 1.

``They're an excellent ballclub,'' Musselman said of the Mavs. ``They played well in Dallas against us in the first quarter, and they came out again and got us in the first quarter tonight. They're great athletes.''

Martin, who averaged 21.3 points while starting each of the Kings' first 22 games, sprained his ankle in the third quarter of Saturday's loss to Phoenix. John Salmons struggled in Martin's spot in the starting lineup, while Artest finished with just 14 points in another poor shooting performance.

Without Martin's speed and athleticism, the Kings didn't have a lineup that could contend with the Mavericks. The effort was more of the same inconsistency from the Kings, who have followed up a surprising road victory over Utah with consecutive home losses.

``If we want to be an elite team and a competing playoff team, we need to win these games,'' Salmons said. ``Just because we've been playing good teams doesn't mean we can't win. Going 1-3 isn't a good stretch for us.''

Dallas roared to a 17-point lead late in the first quarter by making 14 of its first 18 shots, including 14 points from Howard, while holding Sacramento to six-of-24 shooting. Sacramento trimmed the lead to six points in the third quarter, but repeatedly failed to get closer.

Notes: A second-quarter promotion featuring two fans wearing sumo-wrestler suits left a fairly thick carpet of unidentifiable, spongy debris on the floor, delaying the game for several moments. ... Maurice Taylor returned to the Kings' lineup after missing five games under suspension for violating the NBA's substance abuse policy, playing in the final minutes. ... Sacramento never held a lead for the first time at home this season. ... Kings G Jason Hart left the game in the second quarter with a bruised shin.

Dirk Nowitzki scores 18 second half points as Mavericks beat Hornets 90 79

Dirk Nowitzki grimaced as if he wanted to be anywhere, but a basketball court.

It wasn't only because he had missed eight of his first nine shots, not to mention his first foul shot. When pressed about his health after the game, a sniffling and coughing Nowitzki said he had a sinus infection, but didn't want to use that as an excuse.

Then again, he didn't need one.

The Mavericks' leading scorer this season had 18 of his 20 points in the second half and grabbed 10 rebounds to help Dallas win its third straight game, 90-79 over the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday night.

``At halftime, I know that my team has confidence in me and they want me to keep shooting when I'm open,'' Nowitzki said. ``I never make excuses. I have sinus infections all the time and I know how to play through them.''

Josh Howard scored 23 points, including a three-pointer that helped Dallas put the game away, while Devin Harris added 13 points and Jason Terry 12 for the Mavericks.

It was the kind of balance New Orleans lacked with starters David West (elbow) and Peja Stojakovic (back) continuing their prolonged absences. And it helped Dallas control much of the first half when Nowitzki was clanging shot-after-shot off the rim.

``We're a team that has a lot of options on offence and obviously that's the way we got to the finals'' last season, Nowitzki said. ``You can't be a one-man team if you go to the finals. You have to spread it around and attack from a lot of angles and that's what we did tonight.''

Chris Paul had 30 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Hornets, who lost the second of two games in New Orleans this week and for the ninth time in 11 games.

Paul's only help came from Rasual Butler, who had 19 points, and reserve forward Marc Jackson, who finished with 13.

``The one thing (the Mavericks) were doing, being a veteran team, is they were coming down and making sure every time they would get a good shot and move the ball around, three or four passes,'' Hornets coach Byron Scott said. ``We were coming down _ one pass, shot. ... We had to get better shots. We had to move the ball better and make harder cuts.''

Nowitzki scored 13 points in the third quarter as he helped Dallas pull away.

``We were still going to call his number,'' Dallas coach Avery Johnson said.

After New Orleans took its only lead of the game at 42-40, Nowitzki _ who came in averaging 24 points _ scored six straight points on a jumper, an off-balance runner off of the glass and a fast-break layup.

New Orleans kept hustling, and made on last run when Paul's three had the Hornets as close as 76-72 midway through the final period.

Harris seized the momentum back for Dallas with an acrobatic driving scoop through a crowd, and then Howard followed with his third three of the game to make it 81-72 with 2:50 to go.

``It was a big shot. I wasn't scared to take it,'' Howard said.

Dallas also benefited from strong rebounding, finishing with a 50-39 advantage in that category.

One night after a 93-79 victory over Philadelphia, Dallas raced out to an 11-0 lead, and Howard's 10 quick points gave the Mavs a 26-16 advantage after one quarter.

``Josh is quietly maturing right before our very eyes,'' Johnson said.

The Hornets, who never recovered from a slow start in a loss to San Antonio on Thursday, fought back this time. Butler's driving scoop shot, three-pointer and pair of mid-range jumpers fuelled an 11-4 run that pulled New Orleans to 40-40 by halftime.

``We fought real hard. We were scrappy,'' said Hornets centre Tyson Chandler, who had six rebounds and one block. ``We were in it the entire game, but they just had more firepower than us and they executed at the end.''

Notes: Jerry Stackhouse, who had missed four games with a strained right groin, returned to the lineup and had three points in 18 minutes. ... New Orleans' last victory against Dallas was Nov. 17, 1999, about three years before the Hornets moved from Charlotte. The Hornets have lost 19 straight to Dallas. ... Hornets coach Byron Scott is 0-17 all-time against the Mavericks. ... Attendance for the Hornets' third game in New Orleans this season was 16,331, a little more than 1,600 short of a sellout. ... Dallas (17-7) has won 17 of 20 games.