Dirk Nowitzki: Posts 22 points in season opener

Nowitzki saw about 10 minutes more than he figures to average over the course of the season, but since the future Hall of Famer was well rested heading into the opener, it wasn’t surprising that coach Rick Carlisle was willing to give him some extended run in a competitive contest. While retirement could be in store for Nowitzki after the season, the power forward demonstrated last season that he’s still capable of delivering hyper-efficient scoring, and that narrative didn’t change based on Wednesday’s outing.