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DALLAS – Dirk Nowitzki, who has received farewell awards in arenas around the NBA this season, has never ruled out returning for a 22nd season with the Dallas Mavericks.
Although he maintains that he will not make a final decision until this summer, Nowitzki's retirement now looks more realistic than it has ever been this season. That's because he feels better physically than he's been since he's had ankle surgery last spring and that the future of Mavs looks promising thanks to the emergence of rookie star Luka Doncic and the exchange with the recent All-Star Kristaps Porzingis.
"I'd love to be there for young guys a year older, but I think it depends on how the body feels," Nowitzki said after scoring 11 points, five rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes during the 110-101 win Wednesday on Wednesday. the Indiana Pacers. "I've had some problems, obviously, this year, I've had knee swelling here in recent weeks, actually before the break of the stars, so everything's not great." I said, I feel better, feeling a little stronger.
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Luka Doncic had 26 points and 10 rebounds in her last teen game. His rookie compatriot Jalen Brunson scored 24 points, a high in the season. The Dallas Mavericks ended a five-game losing streak on Wednesday with a 110-101 victory over the Indiana Pacers. …
While there was only 9 seconds left in the game Monday and his Clippers were at nine, coach Doc Rivers called Timeout, took the mic from the announcer 's. AP and paid an impromptu tribute to Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki, who described the moment as "very humiliating".
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"I think I'll make that decision later, but I think the future is bright.I think Luka and KP, if they stay healthy, stay together, they should be a great combo They should play each other well, both of them have incredible skills for their size, and an incredible ability to create a game. "They should be sung, but we have to see how that will happen. ;next year. "
Nowitzki, 40, who set an NBA record for the seasons played with a single franchise, missed the first 26 games of the season because of a fiery left foot tendon, due to the fact that he was unable to play. Surgical intervention that he had to undergo to remove the bony spurs from this ankle. He was a shell for weeks after his return, scoring just two digits three times before the break from the All-Star game.
Nowitzki has scored double-digit in the last three games, his first three starts of the season. He averaged 12.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 24.3 minutes over this period, having never recorded more than 18 minutes of play this season.
"I have the impression of having a little more strength in my approach," said Nowitzki, who hit a pair of three points early in the fourth quarter time to help the Mavs comfort their lead over the Pacers. "My legs and my wind are better than [earlier in the season]. I just feel better overall. I feel that I can really contribute, whereas earlier I was just fighting to get up and down. "
Nowitzki has spent most of the season on the bench regularly for the first time since joining the club. This decision was originally made largely thanks to the signing of DeAndre Jordan, who was transferred to New York as part of the Porzingis agreement, to start at the center. Nowitzki was not physically able to play significant minutes until recently.
"He worked for that," said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle. "He has earned those opportunities to start, it's great to see him in a rhythm."
Nowitzki often says that "the sky is the limit" for Doncic, who spent the last night of his teenage years scoring 26 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists against the Pacers. Nowitzki is also enamored of the potential of Porzingis, who will miss his entire season working on his body after being injured by a torn ACL last February.
Porzingis, who regarded Nowitzki as an idol while he was a child, quietly lobbied the fourteenth All-Star for him to come back next season so he could play together. This is a consideration for Nowitzki, but he is now focusing on the everyday life he needs to give himself a chance to finish the season in style.
"I was hoping to feel like that usually in November and December, when this first month of the season is over, but those eight weeks, seven weeks that I've missed with a fiery tendon [in his foot] really messed up the whole season for me, "Nowitzki said. But you can not cry about it. I have to keep working and I hope to feel better and better as the season progresses. I will continue to work during the days off, I will do my lifts, I will do more cardio and shooting to make the season even stronger. "
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