Nowitzki expanding his game
"If you play together for a long time, you know where your teammates want the ball, where they can be effective for the team and you just learn stuff. You just get smarter and more experienced."
Devin Harris was in the middle of dissecting and complimenting Dirk Nowitzki's evolution as a player when he paused for a brief, but good-natured complaint.
'He's out-assisting me, and I don't really appreciate that,' Harris said, smiling.
That was before the Mavericks' 108-105 victory over Memphis on Saturday, when Harris -- who obviously was on a mission -- had eight assists and regained the team lead from Nowitzki, whose assist totals have improved significantly this season.
In nine previous seasons, Nowitzki averaged 2.6 assists per game with a career-high 3.4 in 2006-07. He was averaging more than five until Saturday when he had only two, which dropped him to a 4.8 average, still good for second on the team behind Harris' 5.3. Read more