The Mavericks are on pace to miss 285 player games because of injury or illness this season. That's a jump from last season's 268, when the only core Maverick to sustain an injury was Steve Nash.

This season, injuries to Nowitzki, Greg Buckner, Adrian Griffin and Shawn Bradley have kept the Mavericks off-balance.

Leading-scorer Nowitzki has been most troublesome for the Mavericks, nursing his tender left ankle all season. Nowitzki originally sprained the ankle just before the start of training camp, and has re-twisted it two more times in two months, now. He tapes his ankle for all games, and will wear a brace over the tape when he plays again, to create a "cast" that he hates to play with.