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Tonight the Jazz get ready to take on the Dallas Mavericks at EnergySolutions Arena at 7:00 p.m. and they'll be doing so facing arch nemesis Dirk Nowitzki. Who can soon forget the 29 point fourth quarter that Dirk hung on the Jazz a few years back?
Nowitzki has only played in seven games this season after recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery in October.
Marvin Williams played with Mavericks Brandan Wright and Vince Carter at North Carolina, but it's the German Moses that has his attention, "He's played the last five or six games with them, so about this time he's got his legs under him and having him back on the line, they'll be a much different team."
Al Jefferson will be part of the rotating bigmen trying to slow Dirk down, "He always causes problems. 7-footer, 3 point-shooter, put the ball on the floor. We just got to be ready for a lot of pick and rolls and isos."
The Jazz beat Dallas on Halloween 113-94 at ESA without Nowitzki, now the tides have turned and the Jazz will play without starting point guard Mo Williams who is out after right thumb surgery.
Enes Kanter is a game time decision as he recovers from a sprained ankle. "I'm going to try to go. (In shootaround) it felt great. I can actually step on it now and jump. I feel good not 100% but I'm going to go out and try."
The 6' 11", 260 pound Kanter lost 50 pounds in the off-season, but has missed the last two games against the Suns and Nuggets. "I am hungry, watching my team I really wanted to play, but I couldn't." said Kanter.
Paul Millsap is also battling a few bumps, bruises and a torn ear. Millsap's right earlobe received stitches and has a big band-aid protecting it, "I got hit. I got stitches. That was that."
Millsap is one of the NBA tough guys. Over his seven year NBA career he's only missed 14 games, playing an impressive 497 of 511 games, that's 97% , "I'm not going to play the victim role. It happens. Especially when you try to put everything into it, things like that is going to occur."
However, even this NBA tough guy is afraid to peel back the bandage. "Too nervous, I don't want to see it. Some people say I have a chunk out of my ear, some say it's just sliced up. Too scared to look at it, really." said Millsap.
