The panic about whether Dirk Nowitzki is out a week, two weeks, three or longer paled Monday in comparison to the more important piece of information from the Dallas Mavericks forward.

"I was really lucky," Nowitzki said.

That, more than anything, was the bottom line as the Mavericks prepared to start an extended stretch without the center of their universe. The 7-foot forward suffered a moderate high left ankle sprain as well as a mild left knee sprain. during the horrific fall he took in the third quarter against San Antonio on Sunday.

The Mavericks made no reference to a timetable for Nowitzki's return, but one expert said Monday the normal recovery time for a high ankle sprain is three to six weeks.

It could have been much worse. Nowitzki was walking in a protective boot Monday, putting weight on the left leg and ready to start rehabilitation. He's hoping to return before the regular season ends April 16. The Mavericks have 12 games – and three weeks and one day – left before the season ends.

"Every game hurts to sit out," Nowitzki said. "This is probably the most painful time to miss games. But I'm trying to see the positive. It could have been a lot worse. It could have been a season-ending injury, or even career-ending. I don't know how long it's going to take – a week, two weeks? I have no idea. I'm usually good with recovering from injuries."

Coach Avery Johnson said the Mavericks are preparing for a stretch drive without their superstar. But that's no excuse not to protect their spot in the playoffs.

"It's a tough blow," Johnson said. "Fortunately this is not a serious, long, long-term type of deal. It's one that we hope can heal pretty quickly. But we know it's going to take some time.

"From what we're being told, there's really no time frame. We're just hoping we can catch a break and he'll heal pretty soon. But right now, Dirk's not coming back. There's no Dirk coming out of a phone booth or anything. So, hopefully, that will help us in the way we mentally prepare for these games and go out and do the job without him."

Can Nowitzki return before the playoffs? That's open to debate. Owner Mark Cuban said it was a two-week injury. But an independent orthopedic surgeon said Monday a high ankle sprain usually takes a bit longer to heal.The knee injury is considered less serious and is expected to be healed before the ankle.

"At this point, Mavericks fans should aim for the playoffs," said Dr. Johnny Benjamin, chief of orthopedic surgery at Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, Fla. "With the fall he took, God must be a Mavericks fan. It could have been much, much worse."

The Indian River Medical Center was affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers when they trained in Vero Beach, and also has worked with Allen Iverson, Daunte Culpepper and other athletes.

Devin Harris had a somewhat similar ankle injury before he was traded, and three weeks was the prognosis. He ended up missing a little more than a month.

If Nowitzki has a three-week recovery, the question becomes whether the Mavericks can hold onto the seventh or eighth spot in the cutthroat Western Conference playoff race.

If there is a bright spot, it's that Nowitzki typically has been a fast healer. There have been significant-looking ankle injuries in the past after which he has looked incapable of walking, yet he's returned to action within days.

None of those, however, were high ankle sprains. In the mid-1990s, then-Mavericks guard Jim Jackson suffered a high ankle sprain and his career was never the same afterward.

"We'll see what happens," Nowitzki said. "In this league, anything's possible. Everything's so tight. We're in the middle of a playoff hunt. As of now, we're in the playoffs, so I don't want to even think that we're not going to make the playoffs. That's not how I want to think."

The Mavericks have lost three in a row going into tonight's finale of a four-game homestand against the Los Angeles Clippers. They then visit Denver and Golden State, the two teams with whom they will battle down the stretch for the seventh and eighth playoff spots.

"Right now, we're in a situation where we can control pretty much what's going to happen the rest of our season," Johnson said. "We have a game that we've got to come out [and play] and it can't be a situation where we have small victories. We need a victory. We need to win and get this bad taste out of our mouths."

Dirk Nowitzki suffered a moderate high ankle sprain and a mild knee sprain during a loss to San Antonio on Sunday. A closer look at the ankle injury:

What is it? A high ankle sprain is a tearing of one of the ligaments above the ankle that join the tibia (shin bone) and fibula.

How does it happen? It is caused by an outward twisting of the foot and ankle, as opposed to a typical ankle sprain in which the foot and ankle are twisted inward.

What is the treatment? Most high ankle sprains can be treated similar to a typical ankle sprain, with ice and rest.

What is the prognosis? The normal recovery time is three to six weeks.