Dirk Nowitzki shows rust in first game back from day of rest

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki did not fare well and complained about his left knee after Friday's 107-106 loss to Brooklyn, his first game back from a scheduled day of rest, the Star-Telegram reports.

Nowitzki wore a protective sleeve on his knee and scored 18 points on 5 of 15 shooting from the field, including 0 of 1 from downtown, and 8 of 9 from the free throw line. He also chipped in with seven rebounds and three assists while logging 36 minutes of game action.

"It's kind of been a little stiff," Nowitzki said. "But if you're 35, 36 something is going to be stiff. It hadn't been great the last couple of weeks, but it hardly bothered me any tonight."

Nowitzki has averaged 18.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists over his last five games played.