Dirk Nowitzki is expected to play in Tuesday's game against the Spurs, after his wife gave birth to the couple's second child early Tuesday morning, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Nowitzki is expected to play in Tuesday's game against the Spurs, after his wife gave birth to the couple's second child early Tuesday morning, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Analysis:

Nowitzki will skip the morning shootaround but should be ready for Tuesday night's big game. He's been getting a few more minutes recently, as the Mavs are looking to pull out of a semi-slump and avoid a first-round matchup with the Warriors. Nowitzki logged 30-to-33 minutes in each of the past three contests, after falling between 25 and 29 minutes in each of the preceding six games.