Julius Randle grew up the Dallas Metroplex and grew up watching the Dallas Mavericks and 21-year veteran Dirk Nowitzki cement his name into the NBA record books. Dirk is a sure-fire Hall of Famer whenever he decides to hang up his sneakers.
Dirk spent the majority of the offseason recovering fr
om surgical debridement after suffering a left ankle injury that happened this past April. The surgery was primarily focused on removing bone spurs in his left ankle. Dirk made his 2018-2019, season debut on December 14th against the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix. Dirk scored two points and added a rebound in six minutes of play. He would make his home debut on Sunday, December 16 against the Sacramento Kings. Dirk went one for four from the floor scoring three points adding four rebounds and a turnover. He played limit minutes in the first half of the game against the Kings, as you could imagine the Maverick are trying to be cautious with Dirk minutes coming off an injury to his ankle.
Following the game against the Kings, the Dallas Mavericks went on a four-game road trip with their first destination being in Denver to take on the Nuggets on December 18th. In the game against the Nuggets Nowitzki played only 15 minutes and scored 5 points. Nowitzki would play the next two out of three games on the road but failed to score more than three points and sat out of the game against the Trailblazers on December 23.
The Mavericks returned from their road trip to face the New Orleans Pelicans on December 26, 2018, as a part of a home and home. After the Pelicans morning shootaround, Julius Randle shared his thoughts about Dirk’s career with this possibly being his final ye
ar in the NBA.
“I grew up in Dallas, so I grew up watching Dirk and the incredible career he’s had. So, it is another thing that is amazing to see going out there watching him compete, and competing against him. What he has done for this game is definitely going to be untouched,“ Randle told me.
If you were keeping score at home that Dallas Mavericks and the Pelicans split the home and home with each team winning on their home floors. the fourth and final game will take place on March 18th in Dallas.
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Landon Buford is an accomplished sports and entertainment journalist based in Richardson, Texas, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, WWE, MLB, and the entertainment industry. Known for delivering high-impact stories and headline-making interviews, Buford has earned a global audience through content that blends insider access with compelling storytelling.
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