Nowitzki Suffers Knee, Ankle Sprain; All-Star Forward Out Indefinitely

Dallas, TX (AHN) - All-Star Dirk Nowitzki was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain and a mild knee sprain and will be out indefinitely, the Dallas Mavericks announced on Monday.

Nowitzki underwent an MRI following an awkward fall while trying to block a shot in San Antonio's 88-81 win on Sunday. He collided with the Spurs' Ime Udoka and grimaced in pain afterwards, taking several minutes on the floor before his teammates carried him to the locker room.

The team, currently in 7th place in the tough Western Conference race to the playoffs, did not immediately release a timetable for Nowitzki's return also the 7-foot German is optimistic he'll return to action within two weeks.

"I'm trying to see the positive and it could've been a lot worse," he said. "It could've been a season-ending injury or even career-ending."

"Hopefully I can move where I can already go on the underwater treadmill a little bit in the next couple of days, so at least I can put some pressure on it and see how it feels," added Nowitzki, who is averaging 23.6 points this season, currently seventh in the NBA.

Nowitzki, who has not missed more than six games in each of the last eight seasons, said he is banking on his fast healing capability from injuries. Still, the high ankle he's battling now is different from the previous ankle sprains he's had in the past.

"Usually I'm good with recovering from injuries," Nowitzki said. "I know I'm not 20 any more, but I still feel young, my body feels young. So hopefully I can recover pretty quick."

With Nowitzki shelved indefinitely, the Mavericks will count on Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse and new addition Jason Kidd. Dallas is trying to fend off Golden State for the seventh spot in the West, and the Mavericks' three-game losing streak is hardly helping them at this point.

The Mavericks have 12 games left on the schedule, with seven coming on the road and half against playoff-bound squads. Kidd, whose addition has contributed to a 9-8 win-loss mark to the Mavericks, said it'll be a test of character for the team.

"Everybody just has to pick up his game," the All-Star guard said. "We have to do it as a team. That's the beauty of this right now. We're confident that we can do it without Dirk until he gets better."