Despite being sidelined for the past two months from knee surgery, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has been activated to play against the Spurs tonight.

Nowitzki put in his first full practice on Wednesday, and apparently the knee is feeling well enough to test it in his first game action of the season.

Although it sounds like Nowitzki’s minutes and role will be heavily limited early, it’s a huge boon to a Mavericks team that has been holding on for dear life without their star forward. The Mavericks enter the matchup with the Spurs only three games below .500 — a pretty big accomplishment considering the lack of scorers beyond O.J. Mayo on the roster.

via Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com