Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki will be sidelined indefinitely with a high left ankle sprain and sprained left knee.

The Mavericks are in seventh place in the Western Conference playoffs chase with a two-game lead over Denver.

German Nowitzki, 29, leads the Mavericks in scoring (23.6 points a game) and rebounding (8.8).

"It's a great test to understand who we are," recently acquired guard Jason Kidd told reporters after Sunday's game.

"Are we up for this challenge?"