Dirk Nowitzki will have an MRI after injuring his right knee in Monday's win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Maverick forward's knee appeared to buckle as Nowitzki fell backward after being fouled by Serge Ibaka on a mid-range jumper early in the second quarter of Dallas' win.

Nowitzki hardly seems confident the injury will clear up immediately, as is evident in these quotes from the Dallas Morning News:

"It was a scary play," Nowitzki said. "This is a weird injury that I've never had before, but we'll see where it is tomorrow and go day-to-day from there."

In addition to being one of the best scorers of this century, Nowitzki has been remarkably durable throughout his NBA career. Dirk has missed just 32 of 981 regular season games since entering the league in 1999, a 97 percent availability rate.

Nowitzki is currently averaging 24.1 points a game on a career-best 54 percent shooting. The Mavericks have the league's third-best record at 24-5, and Dirk is considered a top-tier MVP candidate. He won the award in 2007. Though Nowitzki is the team's best player without question, Dallas does have the advantage of remarkable depth, with Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood both coming off the bench on the frontline.

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