Knee injury sidelines Mavericks' star Nowitzki

Germany's basketball star Dirk Nowitzki is hoping for a speedy recovery after missing the Dallas Mavericks' defeat to FC Barcelona in an NBA pre-season exhibition game with a knee injury. "I hope its gone by next week and I can play the rest of the season as normal," said the 34-year-old as the Mavericks lost 99-85 to Barcelona on Tuesday ahead of their NBA season opener against the LA Lakers on October 30. "We have to wait and see how it develops and how the knee responds." Nowitzki sat out the defeat at Barcelona with bruising in his right knee while he flew with the Mavericks back to Texas on Wednesday. "It was alright the morning before the game, but after the final training, the knee was swollen," he said, with the Mavericks having also played Alba Berlin on their pre-season European tour. "Pre-season preparations are not the time to risk or force something," he said. This is not the first time Nowitzki, voted the most valuable player in the 2011 NBA finals when the Mavericks won the title, has been effected by knee problems. "It is rather unfortunate, because I already had problems with it last year," said Nowitzki. "I was treated for the same thing and the swelling didn't come back for the rest of the season. "I hope that my body can become accustomed to the running and jumping again."