The Dallas Mavericks will be without power forward Dirk Nowitzki for their pre-season opener with the Houston Rockets.
Nowitzki picked up a right hip contusion during Saturday's fan scrimmage, with the player also missing practice on Monday as coach Rick Carlisle ruled him out of Tuesday's clash.
"It's not considered serious, but we're going to give it a day or two and see what's what," said Carlisle, according to the Dallas Morning News.
The injury could give the likes of Jae Crowder, Chandler Parsons and Greg Smith the chance to push for a starting claim up top before the season gets underway.
