Preview: Mavericks (15-11) at Timberwolves (13-13)

Earl K. Sneed reports from Minneapolis and previews the Dallas Mavericks' Friday night matchup against the Timberwolves as All-Star forwards Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Love square off.

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s only right that Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki be on hand for an 11th straight year when the NBA’s best players gather for the All-Star Game in Orlando later this month.

Making his 11th appearance overall in the midseason spectacle after being voted in as an All-Star reserve by the Western Conference coaches Thursday, the Finals MVP will come full circle after sluggish play to start the season due to a sore right knee that caused him to miss four games. And after also returning to his All-Star form by averaging 26.3 points per game on 61.5 percent shooting in the last three outings, Nowitzki will try to lead his squad to a victory Friday night against a Minnesota Timberwolves team that has already defeated the Mavericks twice by double digits.

“I am really excited to make the All-Star Team this year,” Nowitzki said in a statement Thursday. “It was a tough road back to full health for me, but I am honored that the coaches thought enough of me to make me an All-Star. It has been a privilege to represent the Mavericks organization over the last decade and I look forward to doing it again in Orlando.”

The 7-footer is coming off one of his best games of the season, scoring a game-high 25 points on 11-of-20 shooting to go along with nine rebounds as the Mavericks (15-11) ended a three-game losing streak with a 105-95 win in Denver Wednesday night. With point guard Jason Kidd missing his sixth straight game due to a strained right calf, Nowitzki was counted on even more so and he delivered.

“An All-Star performance, didn’t you think? He’s getting back into a groove offensively and he’s looking like his old self in terms of moving around the court. So, it’s a lot of positives,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said of Nowitzki’s performance.

“I feel good, just more confident in everything — the movement, the shot and all-around game,” Nowitzki added. “I was fighting an uphill battle most of the season, for the first third of the season, but I feel good now. I have confidence in the leg strength again, I can make moves, I can spin and I can do all the stuff I need to do to get my shot off. Before that wasn’t really the case, so I feel good and we’ve got to try to translate that into wins and get our leader, J-Kidd, back hopefully Friday or Saturday.”

Friday night, however, Nowitzki will face one of his greatest tests since returning to form, squaring off with fellow All-Star forward Kevin Love inside.

Returning from a two-game suspension after stomping Houston Rockets big man Louis Scola, Love will try to improve upon season averages of 25.0 points and 13.7 rebounds. Alongside rookie Ricky Rubio and ex-Maverick J.J. Barea, Love has transcended the Wolves (13-13) into a .500 team that is eying the playoffs. But the Mavericks will try to slow the former UCLA standout and Minnesota’s high-octane offensive attack down by showing the big man and his teammates extra attention on the defensive end.

“[Love] is a unique player, and one of the reasons he’s not leading the league in rebounding is because he’s become such a good 3-point shooter,” Carlisle explained. “And yet, he’s still able to get to the rim and rebound from the 3-point line at times, which is amazing.

“I mean, they’ve played well and we haven’t played well enough,” the coach added after two lopsided losses to the Wolves in January. “I mean, that’s the reality. And so, again, we’re gonna have to have that scrambling mentality defensively. I mean, they put you in a lot of bad situations with their quickness and their ball-handling and passing ability. And they’ve shot threes well against us, so what we have to do a better job of is taking away the paint and then scrambling out of those situations.”

Note: The Mavs return to action Friday night in Minnesota in a third matchup with the Timberwolves. The Wolves lead the season series 2-0 after two double-digit wins in January. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7 p.m. CT.

The team then returns to Dallas to host the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center Saturday night. That game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

Single-game tickets are on sale and available at the American Airlines Center North Box Office, online at mavs.com, via phone by calling 214-747-MAVS or 1-800-4NBA-TIX and all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Wal-Mart, Simon Mall in Garland and the Shops at Willow Bend in Plano).

Dr. Pepper Family Nights are here! Plans include four Mavs tickets and four McDonald’s extra value meals, starting at $49. Visit mavs.com or call 214-747-MAVS for a schedule of games and to purchase tickets.