Dirk Nowitzki Joins Some Exclusive Company By Dropping 40 Points On The Blazers

The Dallas Mavericks are teetering on the edge of the Western Conference playoff race and had dropped seven of their last eight games heading into a crucial showdown with Portland on Sunday night. A Dallas loss would have put them on the outside looking in for the eight spot, but Dirk Nowitzki was not about to let that happen.

At age 37, Dirk turned back time to have one of his best games in years, putting his team on his back and scoring 40 points in a dramatic 132-120 overtime win. Nowitzki played 40 minutes, shot 16-26 from the field and 3-of-5 from three, burning the Blazers with his signature post-ups and pick and pops. In the overtime session, Nowitzki scored-eight straight points to put the game on ice, including two of this three triples on the night.

With his performance, Dirk became only the fourth player over the last 50 years to score 40 points in a game at age 37 or older. You might recognize the other names on that list:

Regardless of whether or not Dallas makes it to the postseason this year (and they’re likely to get easily dispatched even if they do), Dirk Nowitzki deserves to be appreciated more than he is for continuing to play at an elite level no matter how old he gets or who the Mavs put next to him.

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