Dirk Nowitzki named Player of the Week

DALLAS – Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from November 22-28 the NBA league office announced today. This is the 12th time Nowitzki has garnered the honor in his career. He is the first Mavericks to win the award since he claimed it on April 11, 2010.

Nowitzki led the Mavericks to a perfect 4-0 week with wins over Detroit, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Miami. He averaged 31.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game during that stretch while shooting .573 from the field, .533 from three-point range and .882 from the free throw line.

For the week, the Mavericks won four games in five nights. Since the Mavericks inaugural year in 1980, Dallas has played four games in five nights 108 times. The Mavericks have swept all four games just three times in franchise history (also in February 1985 and November 2006).

Dirk began the week on Tuesday (11/23) with a 42-point effort in a victory over the Pistons, but arguably the biggest win of the season came when the Mavericks snapped the first-place Spurs’ 12-game winning streak with a 103-94 win in San Antonio on Friday (11/26). Against the Spurs, Nowitzki registered 26 points on 12-14 shooting from the floor.

On the season, Nowitzki ranks fourth in the NBA in scoring average (26.1 ppg) and 12th in field goal percentage (.540).