Knee problems bother Nowitzki

Dirk Nowitzki went through a full practice with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday after having his swollen right knee drained for the second time in a month. Nowitzki said he doesn’t know why the swelling keeps coming back and that arthroscopic surgery remains an option if it keeps happening. “I’m not going to play on a swollen knee all season,” Nowitzki said. “So I think if it comes back a couple of more times, we’ll definitely have to look at something else.” It is the same knee and same issue Nowitzki dealt with early last season. The …

Dirk Nowitzki went through a full practice with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday after having his swollen right knee drained for the second time in a month. Nowitzki said he doesn’t know why the swelling keeps coming back and that arthroscopic surgery remains an option if it keeps happening. “I’m not going to play on a swollen knee all season,” Nowitzki said. “So I think if it comes back a couple of more times, we’ll definitely have to look at something else.” It is the same knee and same issue Nowitzki dealt with early last season. The 34-year-old Nowitzki, who is going into his 15th NBA season, said he would keep working and see how the knee responds over the weekend. The Mavericks scrimmage today as part of a fan day. – AP