Dirk Nowitzki had another important step in his trip back to normalcy when he put in 40 minutes during the overtime win at Sacramento on Thursday. It was the first time in 10 games since returning from knee surgery that he’d played more than 34 minutes. “And it felt like it was 80,” Nowitzki said. “So I didn’t have much going for the team. But I kept battling. My legs were pretty heavy.” Nowitzki shot 7-for-21 from the field, but did contribute nine rebounds.

Fatigue is obviously an issue here, but the 40 minutes should encourage Nowitski's fantasy owners. His legs are heavy now, but come the fantasy postseason, he will have considerably fewer games played than most. Absorb the lumps now in order to reap the benefits later in the season
Analyst: Kyle Soppe  View Profile