Nowitzki, Carlisle to miss Mavs game

ByTIM MACMAHON
December 14, 2013, 7:06 PM

— -- Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle and forward Dirk Nowitzki missed Saturday night's home game against the Milwaukee Bucks due to an undisclosed illness.

Both Carlisle and Nowitzki were not present at the team's morning shootaround.

Monte Mathis, who serves as the team's defensive coordinator, replaced Carlisle against the Bucks. Mathis also stepped in for Carlisle after he was ejected from a game against the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 23.

"I talked to him once coming into the arena, but I didn't talk to him before shootaround," Mathis, speaking before the game, said of Carlisle. "We talked about minutes for different guys and how we want to do substitutions. He pretty much said to go by feel and go with your gut."

It was the first game Carlisle has missed since Dec. 27, 2010, when assistant Dwane Casey coached the Mavericks past the Oklahoma City Thunder a day after Carlisle underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.

Nowitzki hadn't missed a game all season.

Last season, he sat out the first 27 games while recovering from arthroscopic right knee surgery and missed two games later due to a right adductor strain. Dallas went 13-16 without Nowitzki in the lineup last season and is 37-37 all-time when he doesn't play. 

"Everybody has got to step up in different areas," Mathis said. "Nobody can go out of their game to do well. ... Everyone has to come together as a unit."

Dallas did get back center/forward Brandan Wright, who was active for the first time since suffering a nondisplaced fracture in his left shoulder Oct. 8.

"He's going to have to step up," Mathis said. "There's not necessarily a particular minutes limit. We know a little bit of how much we want to play him. He's not going to play the whole game, but it'll be a good pick me up for the team."

Shawn Marion started at power forward for the Mavericks, with second-year swingman Jae Crowder at small forward.

Bryan Gutierrez is a contributor to ESPNDallas.com.