If you needed a sign to show that Dirk Nowitzki was coming to near the end of his playing career with the Dallas Mavericks, you would have had to look hard during his team's game against the Brooklyn Nets last night, as he was fantastic despite the defeat.
The Mavericks lost 114-106 against the Nets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday, as they were unable to contain D'Angelo Russell and Rondae Hollis Jefferson who both scored 20+ points each on the night.
Dennis Smith Jr. was Dallas' best player on the court yesterday, as he finished the game with 21 points, two rebounds, and five assists, but Nowitzki had a good outing as well, 13 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
The German even had an incredible play during the second quarter of the game where he looked like Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, as he took a shot from halfway through the Nets' half and converted it for three points as you can see in the video below.
What’s even more surprising is that he attempted the shot with still 22 seconds left on the shot clock. Just goes to show that despite his age, he still has a lot left in the tank.
Saturday marked Nowitzki's 1,463rd game for the Mavericks, moving him past Kevin Garnett into fifth place in the NBA career list.
The 39-year-old said about the moment to ESPN after the game: "It just means that I've been around for a long time, been fortunate, some injuries, only missed a few games here and there every season." He's only missed one game for Dallas this season.
The Mavericks and Nowitzki will be hoping to get back to winning ways on Tuesday when they visit New Orleans on Tuesday to play against the Pelicans.
Listen HERE to the first episode of the new GiveMeSport NBA podcast, featuring former Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin.
Enjoy, and please subscribe for all future episodes.