Nowitzki plays 19 minutes in loss to the Hawks

DALLAS – The numbers weren’t anything staggering. Then again, no one expected them to be.

Dirk Nowitzki dusted off the cobwebs and played in his first preseason game Friday night for the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. The 18-year veteran punched the time clock for 19 minutes – all in the first half – and collected six points and seven rebounds during the Mavs’ 91-84 defeat at the hands of the Hawks.

The stats notwithstanding, Nowitzki was just elated to get up and down the floor and run the court with his Dallas teammates for the first time since Game 5 of the Mavs’ first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets last April.

"It felt great to get out there tonight,’’ said Nowitzki, who was 2-of-6 from the field, including 1-of-3 from 3-point range. "Obviously I had a busy summer, and the coaches and staff have been good about brining me alone to be ready for the start of the season.

"Overall, I felt pretty good.’’

The Mavs wanted to get a snapshot of what Nowitzki could accomplish after he gradually stepped up his activity in training camp since playing last month for the German National Team in EuroBasket 2015.

"He’s moving well, his activity is good,’’ coach Rick Carlisle said. "He looked excited to be back out there.

"I was very encouraged. It was about what I expected. I expected him to move well and be aggressive, and he was.’’

Dwain Price can be heard every Wednesday from 3-5 p.m. on dfwiradio.com.

This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 12:54 AM with the headline "Nowitzki plays 19 minutes in loss to the Hawks."