Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki: Double-doubles Wednesday

Nowitzki tallied 24 points (9-19 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 2-2 FG), 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block across 30 minutes in Wednesday's 98-91 loss to the Pistons.

Analysis:

After a stretch of four games where he failed to reach double-digit points, Nowitzki has now reached that plateau in the past five games as the vet has gotten himself back on track. His minutes are down overall compared to years past because father time continues to catch up to the great shooting big man. It's not that Nowitzki can't perform anymore as he proved Wednesday night, it's just a matter of how much he can playing time he can garner on a given night, which has been wildly inconsistent to this point in the season, and figures to only deviate more as the wear and tear of this season builds on him.