Dirk Nowitzki missed the morning's shootaround with a cold and coach Rick Carlisle said he is hopeful his leading scorer will be able to play Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. Vince Carter is already out of action, and he was sent back to Dallas on Wednesday to have his sprained left foot examined Thursday by team doctor T.O. Souryal. That takes Carter out for Thursday's game at Utah and almost certainly Saturday's contest at the New Orleans Hornets.
