With a lot of Mavericks players either sick or injured, Dirk Nowitzki?s second period ankle sprain was the last thing Coach Don Nelson and the Dallas fans wanted to see.

After being sent to the locker room the mood was somber at American Airlines Center.  However, in the second half the Mav?s star came back to score 16 of his 26 points and lead a battered Dallas team to a 98-93 victory over an equally battered Nets squad.

Note: Dirk Nowitzki is just 2 points from reaching 10,000 for his career.