Dirk Nowtizki is doing more and more on his slow-to-heal left ankle and could be playing in games off the Dallas Mavericks’ bench at some point during their next five games.
Exactly when remains a mystery, though coach Rick Carlisle said last week that things were trending toward Nowitzki possibly playing before the month ended. Well, the Mavs have two more November games remaining -- Wednesday at Houston and Friday at the Los Angeles Lakers.
That might be asking too much of the 40-year-old, who has been participating in some practices and is doing all he can to be game-ready.
“He’s been in here virtually every day for seven months,” Carlisle said Monday after the Mavs practiced. “He’s been playing scrimmages with the interns and finding ways to simulate games situations and generally speaking doing well. I know he’s had some soreness here and there, but nothing that I’ve heard is any kind of setback.”
Nowitzki has told reporters that he hopes to play in December. The Mavs open next month Sunday at home against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Nowitzki underwent ankle surgery April 5 and has dealt with multiple setbacks while rehabbing for the 21st season of his career. However, he has made steady progress the past few weeks while the Mavs have surged to a 9-9 record after a 2-7 start.
Nowtizki, the seventh-leading scorer in NBA history, would bolster a bench that has been a team strength, thanks to contributions from, among others, guard J.J. Barea and forward Dorian Finney-Smith.
Carlisle suggested that second-year point guard Dennis Smith Jr. (right wrist) will return to the lineup Wednesday and that forward Dwight Powell (left knee) could return.