Dirk Nowitzki has a strained right knee and will miss the Mavericks’ Tuesday game against the Toronto Raptors, the team has announced. Nowitzki is listed as day-to-day.
Dirk Nowitzki Injury: MRI Reveals Strained Knee, Knocks Maverick Out Of Tuesday’s Game
Nowitzki fell to the ground early in the second quarter of Dallas’ Monday night win over the Oklahoma City Thunder after being fouled by Serge Ibaka, who was defending a Dirk jump shot. Immediate X-rays showed no structural damage to Nowitzki’s knee, but the forward sat out the remainder of the game as the Mavs pulled away for the 103-93 victory.
Nowitzki said after the game that his knee had been bothering him for a couple weeks. Getting rest should not be an issue for the German -- Dallas has seven games in the next two weeks. The only back-to-back for the Mavericks between now and Jan. 14-15 is next weekend, against the Bucks and Cavaliers, the former a middle-of-the-pack Eastern Conference team and the latter potentially the worst squad in the league.
Tuesday’s game will be Nowitzki’s first DNP of the season. He missed just two games over the last two seasons, and has played in 97 percent of the Mavericks’ regular season games since 1999.
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