Mavs’ Nowitzki still unsure when he will play

DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki says he is still about two weeks away from getting back on the court to start running and shooting. He’s not sure how long after that it will be before he makes his NBA season debut for the Dallas Mavericks.

The perennial All-Star forward is recovering from knee surgery. He says the goal is for the swelling to be gone 100 percent and his strength to be 100 percent before playing. He said on Tuesday it’s getting better but he still feels “far away from” 100 percent.

Nowitzki this week has increased the intensity of off-court workouts to build his strength and conditioning.

He had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Oct. 19, the first surgery for the 7-foot (2.14-meter) German who is in his 15th NBA season.