The Dallas Mavericks forward who was already hampered by a balky left ankle turned his right one in the first half of a 109-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 on Sunday.

"This is not fun," Howard said. "Both ankles hurt? I've never had this before."

Sit out Game 2 on Tuesday night? No way. Not an option.

"I'm going to have to manage" the pain, said Howard, who missed two 11-game stretches this season with a bothersome left ankle and 30 games overall. "My team's depending on me."

Still, he's left wondering how he's going to push off and penetrate on two bad wheels.

"It's going to hurt," said Howard, who sat out practice Monday to give his ankles more time to heal. "I'm going to have to play through it to get us where we want to go."

Howard was an integral part of Dallas dispatching the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, averaging nearly 19 points in the five games.

The Nuggets certainly took notice.

"The San Antonio series, maybe their most valuable player," Nuggets coach George Karl said of Howard. "That was the wild card that they got. I don't know if they knew they were going to get it, but they definitely got it. It was very impressive."

The lanky forward missed most of the season series against the Nuggets, which Denver swept 4-0, and the Mavericks considered Howard the key to turning around those fortunes in the playoffs.

But now one of Dallas' few slashers can't cut to the rim, causing some consternation for Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle.

"I'm always concerned. It's been a problem since the third week of the season," Carlisle said of his energizer's health. "We always hold our breath, cross our fingers and pray that Mother Nature is nice to us. It's a tough situation for him, because I know he desperately wants to play and play well."

Teammate Jason Terry isn't worried about Howard's ability to play hurt.

"He's got two bad ankles - everybody has got bad backs, bad knees. That's just what time of season it is for everybody," Terry said. "Nobody is looking for any excuses right now. ... Go time, baby."

And go he will.

"It's something I've been dealing with all season," Howard said. "It's nothing new to me. ... It's just part of the game, something you manage and deal with."

Howard can't recall the details of how he hurt his right ankle Sunday. All he knows was he came off a screen and planted wrong, falling to the floor in pain.

"Haven't seen the play," he shrugged.

So, which one hurts worse?

"They (each) have their moments," he said, cracking a brief smile. "But it's not going to stop me from playing."

However, his sore ankles could curtail his explosive moves.

"Driving to the basket is limited," he acknowledged.

His jumper?

"I don't really think about that," said Howard, who averaged 18 points and 5.1 rebounds in the regular season. "I go out there and get jump shots up. I try to get the same rhythm."