Mavs' Nowitzki to miss four games with sore knee

Jan 22, 2012, 1:47 GMT

Los Angeles - Dallas Mavericks superstar forward Dirk Nowitzki will sit out four games to rest his sore knee.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle made the announcement Saturday. He said Nowitzki is being given eight days of rest to 'resolve some physical issues and conditioning issues.'

Nowitzki will not play in Saturday's game at New Orleans. He also will miss home games Monday vs. Phoenix, Wednesday vs. Minnesota and Friday vs. Utah. His expected return is Jan. 30 at Phoenix.

Carlisle said that Nowitzki will take part in more strenuous, multiple workouts while sitting out more than a week.

After the NBA Finals MVP led the Mavericks to their first championship, Nowitzki is off to a slow start this season. His current numbers of 17.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 45.6 percent shooting are his lowest since the 1999-2000 season, his second in the NBA.

The Mavericks played into mid-June last season, and Nowitzki played for Germany in Eurobasket 2011. He then took an extended period away from basketball due to the lockout and has admitted that probably affected his conditioning.

The sore knee is the same one the 33-year-old Nowitzki sprained last season, forcing him to miss nine games. It was the longest absence of his career.

After Wednesday's loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles, Nowitzki said, 'I'm having trouble bending my knees. I've just got to get my legs stronger, get my base back.'

The 2007 NBA MVP and a future Hall of Famer, the 7-foot Nowitzki has career averages of 22.9 points and 8.9 rebounds in 1,009 games, all with Dallas. He is considered both the best European player and the best shooting big man in NBA history.