Nowitzki likely to miss only 7 to 10 days with sprained ankle</B></P><>12:17 AM CST on Tuesday, November 23, 2004</P><>By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News</P><>Dirk Nowitzki always looks like his leg is going to fall off when he gets an ankle injury. </P><>But just as with all of his past ankle problems, the latest one won\'t sideline him for an extended period. Test results Monday indicated nothing more than a sprain, and Nowitzki was walking with only a slight limp, putting full weight on the left ankle he twisted Sunday at Denver. </P><>The early prognosis is he\'ll miss a week to 10 days. </P><>\"We\'re sort of pleased,\" coach Don Nelson said. \"He will miss some games, but it\'s not as serious as we thought when he first did it. He didn\'t have much swelling. He recovers amazingly well.\" </P><>Nowitzki was not placed on the injured list, meaning he could return anytime. He would have had to sit out the mandatory five games if he was put on the list. </P><>\"It\'s feeling all right now,\" Nowitzki said. \"After I did it, it felt the worst it has in a couple of years.\" </P><><B>Nowitzki said he\'s hoping to shave a few days off the projected recovery time, perhaps playing this weekend against Portland or Memphis. </B></P><P><B>\"It\'s a big week for us,\" Nowitzki said. </B></P>