This is 40: Dirk Nowitzki outscores his age by 3 points (Video)
OK, so Dirk Nowitzki isn’t exactly 40. He’s 37, but after entering the NBA at age 19, numerable trips deep into the playoffs, and with his dedication to summertime international play he’s got a lot of tread on those tires.
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That hasn’t stopped him from acting as the Dallas Mavericks’ best player, even if Chandler Parsons is giving him a run for his money. That also didn’t stop him from tossing 40 badly-needed points in Dallas’ just-as-badly-needed overtime win over Portland (who were up double-figures in the first quarter) on Sunday.
Playing once again at his typical power forward position (Zaza Pachulia got the technical start, big man Sahla Mejri got big minutes and played expertly), Dirk hit 16 of 26 shots in 39 minutes of play. He nailed three of his five three-point attempts, pulled in eight rebounds, and a typical Dirk-ish mere two turnovers. His Mavs outscored the Trail Blazers 19-7 in the overtime frame.
The performance left Dirk in rather august company, as if he wasn’t there already:
(#Actually Malone’s performance took place in March of 2003; he would also contribute nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals against the Magic. His season-high in 2003-04, his lone year with the Lakers, was 20. When you hit your late 30s, though, “November” becomes the new “March.”)
Dirk wasn’t alone in his throwback performance (his season-high last year was 30 points, the last time he hit 40 was on Jan. 11 2014). Dallas point guard Deron Williams, felled by wrist and knee injuries since being dealt from Utah in 2011, also added 31 points and 16 assists in the win. It was the first time a Mavs point guard topped the 30 and 15 plateau since Jason Kidd in 1995-96.
(You’ll recall that the Mavs have employed Sam Cassell, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd – again – in the years since.)
Both performances were absolutely necessary.
With Utah losing in Chicago on Saturday night, the Mavs are now a game and a half up on the Jazz for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Dallas had lost seven of eight games entering Sunday afternoon, and eight of its final 12 games will come against either playoff participants (including these same Blazers, on Wednesday) or hopefuls (the Pistons, and in Dallas’ penultimate game, Utah).
Dirk is still averaging a team-high 18.8 points per game, following this outburst. Even though his Mavericks have wandered the NBA’s middling wilderness in the years since the franchise’s 2011 title, he remains a must-watch.
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
