HE’S back. Dallas Mavericks veteran forward returned with a vengeance, scoring 17 points, despite playing only in the ï¬ rst half, to help the Dallas Mavericks post a scrambling 90-88 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Harrison Barnes scored the winning 10-foot running jumper with 3.7 seconds left but Nowitzki’s return gave the team a much-needed boost. Barnes ï¬ nished with team-high 24 points.
Nowitzki looks fully recovered from an Achilles strain which forced him to miss 14 consecutive games. Wesley Matthews added 16 for the Mavericks.
Jamal Crawford scored 26 points for the Clippers, who were playing without both of their stars, Chris Paul (hamstring) and Blake Grifï¬ n (knee).
Their bench turned in another strong effort, outscoring the Mavericks’ reserves 54-21. The previous night, the Clippers bench outscored the Spurs’ 58-33.
But the Clippers turned the ball over 20 times and could not maintain a late lead.
Los Angeles scored the ï¬ rst six points of the second half to take a seven-point leadand was up by eight late in the period, before Barnes hit a pair of jumpers to leave the Mavs down 72-68 after three quartes.
The Clippers led 51-50 at the half despite 17 points in 15 minutes from Nowitzki. The forward was making his first start in 15 games and was intentionally held out in the second half.
Nowitzki was glad to be back. He’s aware that at this stage of his career he will have to overcome physical limitations brought on by age.
“Just had a little setback. It’s unfortunate. At this stage of my career, I don’t move well anyways. I try to stay positive and try to keep a positive attitude with the guys on off days,” said Nowitzki.
At 38 years old Nowitzki is only too aware of his basketball mortality. He has appeared in only six games this season because of the Achilles injury.
Like any player in the twilight of his career, Nowitzki has seen a dip in production this year, averaging 12.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
However, having scored more than 29,000 points during a 19-year career, Nowitzki is the greatest player in Mavericks history and one of the best international imports the NBA has ever seen:
The reliable forward, who has played in 70 or more games in 14 different seasons, was an integral part of the Mavericks’ lone championship run. They’ve made the postseason in 15 of the past 16 years.
Nowitzki’s return gives Dallas the face of their franchise back as they look to rebound from a nightmarish 8-21 start.