After getting the start for the twelfth time this season, Dirk Nowitzki didn’t see any action in the second half of Tuesday night’s 125-121 loss to the Sacramento Kings. After struggling though a lingering left ankle injury for the first part of the season, his absence could have been concerning for the Dallas Mavericks’ 40-year-old icon. Fortunately, the reason Nowitzki sat was for strategic reasons.
“At halftime, [Nowitzki] actually said he would prefer to come back in off the bench, pending what the matchup was going to be,” head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game.