Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki: Will play Friday vs. Clippers

Nowitzki (Achilles) has been cleared to play Friday against the Clippers, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Analysis:

Nowitzki experienced no setbacks with the strained right Achilles that had sidelined him for the previous 14 games during the Mavs' morning shootaround, so the veteran will finally be cleared to take the court for what will be just his sixth appearance of the season. Though it seems rather likely that Nowitzki will slot back in as the Mavs' starting power forward, he'll likely have his minutes restricted Friday as a result of the long layoff, making him a less-than-ideal DFS option. Nonetheless, Nowitzki's return figures to result in a downturn in playing time for the likes of Dorian Finney-Smith and potentially Justin Anderson, as Harrison Barnes is now in line to see most of his duties at small forward rather than power forward.