Not long after his successful return from offseason surgery, Josh Howard was shut down to continue rehab on his left ankle. Though the Mavericks won Friday night without their starting shooting guard, the loss of Howard is significant going forward. More frustrating for Dallas is the outlook, since Howard is out indefinitely. He appeared to be on track after averaging 15 points in his first two games back. Howard, however, played sparingly Wednesday at San Antonio after experiencing soreness in his ankle. It was the second night of a back-to-back, leading some to wonder if perhaps he should be been monitored more closely.
"This decision is about my health," Howard said. "I want to be 100 percent. There's no in-between with me. I tried in-between, and it wasn't best for me or my team. I just want to get healthy and help this team win."
For now, Howard will continue to travel and practice with the team.
"He will rehab even more aggressively than he has in the past," Rick Carlisle said.
Howard had reconstructive surgery on his left ankle May 22. He played in only 52 games last season. The Mavericks were 33-19 with Howard in the lineup.
MAVERICKS 89, TIMBERWOLVES 77: Dallas snapped back from a poor effort in San Antonio to claim an easy win Friday night at Minnesota. The Mavericks improved to 6-3 overall and 3-2 on the road, with two games left on their four-game trip.
Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 20 points in 29 minutes. Shawn Marion had 15 and Jason Terry scored 12 off the bench. Dallas outscored the Wolves by 19 in the second and third quarters.
Minnesota (1-9) was led by 11 points from rookie Jonny Flynn. Dallas has beaten the Wolves in 13 staring games, matching San Antonio's streak over New Jersey as the longest active in the league.
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