<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">DALLAS -- When Dirk Nowitzki was sprawled on the floor in the first quarter Wednesday in Seattle, it looked like the Mavericks' season was about to take a turn for the worse. Nowitzki was clutching his left leg, and his hands were trembling. But a couple of hours after being helped off the court, the forward found out that he had just sprained his left ankle. X-rays were negative, and Nowitzki said he hopes to play tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavs say he is questionable. "I rolled it pretty good, and it was pretty sore when it happened," Nowitzki said. "But it should be all right. "I'm hoping to play [tonight]. If not, then definitely after Christmas. But I'm trying to play [tonight]." When Sonics forward Chris Wilcox fell on Nowitzki, it sent shock waves all the way back to Dallas. "It was a big scare," Mavs center Erick Dampier said. "Obviously this is his team, and we're [riding] on his back."</div> Source
