The Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki isn’t quite at full health, but at the team’s morning shootaround on Thursday, it was clear that he was close--and certainly a lot better than he was during the Mavs’ Game 4 victory on Tuesday night.
Nowitzki spent that game battling a 101-degree fever, and at times, it showed. The All-Star had a hard time getting his breath during timeouts, and struggled somewhat from the field, going 6-for-19, but still posting a team-high 21 points.
"I feel great, I feel great,'' Nowitzki said prior to the Mavericks' shootaround this morning, per the Dallas Morning News. "I got a little cough, but that's nothing to worry about.''
Naturally, this is good news for the Mavericks.
"He's feeling better, which is important,'' head coach Rick Carlisle said. "That's a plus for us. We got a couple other guys that are a little banged up. But at this point, you play.''
After the series-tying victory on Thursday, Nowitzki headed home to a meal of chicken soup and hot tea. After catching up on some lost sleep, he headed to Wednesday’s shootaround, where he took it easy--but told reporters that he planned on returning later in the day to get some more work in.
Apparently, the plan worked, as Dirk seems ready to go.
Nowitzki Feeling “Great,” Ready For Game 5
Dirk Nowitzki has almost fully recovered from the fever that hounded him in Game 4.
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