DALLAS (AP) — As usual, Dirk Nowitzki stayed on the practice court long after the rest of the Dallas players, shooting jumper after jumper on a day between first-round playoff games against Houston. The 7-foot German was coming off a fourth quarter like so many others in 14 trips to the postseason, scoring 16 of his 34 points in an effort what wasn't good enough to keep Dallas from facing a deficit that's never been overcome in the NBA playoffs. Never one to concern himself with dim prospects, Nowitzki had another strong finish in Game 4 to help the Mavericks avoid what would have been just the second sweep of his career. Start with the season after he led the franchise to its only championship in 2011, when owner Mark Cuban dismantled the roster in the name of salary cap relief. Dallas also lost Chandler Parsons to a right knee injury after his signing in the offseason became possible because Nowitzki took a significant hometown discount. Ellis leads the team in scoring again in the playoffs, and one of the biggest offseason questions for Dallas is whether the guard comes back if he opts out of his contract, as expected.