Nowitzki expects to play today

The Mavericks standout twisted his ankle in Saturday's game.
DALLAS (AP) -- Robert Horry credits his career of clutch shots to a positive thinking class he took in high school.
And now would be a good time for the San Antonio Spurs to think positive.
Because history doesn't favor the defending champions, who trail Dallas 2-1 in the second-round playoff series heading into Game 4 on tonight. Since Tim Duncan's arrival in 1997, San Antonio has never rallied when trailing after three games.
Horry said Sunday his class was called "visualization" -- and he says he still sees the Spurs pulling this series out.
"You play for the moment," Horry said. "We're not thinking about where we are as far as the record in the series."
One thing the Spurs can think about is seeing Dirk Nowitzki in Game 4. The Mavericks forward said Sunday that he expects to play today despite swelling on the right ankle that he twisted in the closing moments of Saturday's thrilling 104-103 victory.
Nowitzki only shot free throws during practice on Sunday and said he's put ice on the ankle every two hours. He said the feeling remains stiff and that the pain is "up there" with other ankle injuries he's endured.
But asked if there was any way he would miss Game 4, Nowitzki said, "If I lose a leg."
Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said the team will know more today about his star's status. Johnson said he's confident in others picking up the slack even if Nowitzki -- who's averaging 27.6 points and nearly 10 rebounds in the playoffs -- isn't at full strength.
"We have other guys on this team who we think we can get a lot of production out of," Johnson said. "We've done it before, we've had to make those sort of adjustments, and we're prepared to do it again."
History has also shown that, since Duncan arrived and led the Spurs to three championships, the Spurs haven't been able to come back when trailing a series after three games.
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