NEW YORK -- Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki said Monday that he is getting closer to returning from a sore right Achilles.Nowitzki missed his fourth straight game with the Mavericks 93-77 loss to the New York Knicks. He had a lengthy pregame workout, but by then, it was already decided that he wouldnt play.The biggest issue is still running, Nowitzki said after the game. Im not a big runner at this stage in my career, but I cant really go up and down yet. I havent run in full practice. So its not quite there yet, but the good thing is its getting better. I dont have the soreness I had last week, obviously. Ill be doing more and more.Nowitzki sat out the second half of Dallas loss in Portland on Nov. 4 and hasnt played since. Although the Mavericks are 2-7, they dont want the 38-year-old forward back until hes ready.I think hes really close. Hes feeling a lot better, and we just dont want to rush anything, owner Mark Cuban said. Theres no reason to rush anything with him.The Mavericks are playing without injured guards Deron Williams and Devin Harris. On Monday, they shot under 39 percent against a Knicks team that had been struggling defensively. Nowitzki, the No. 6 scorer in NBA history, knows the offense will return once he does.We cant score enough. Obviously, thats the one thing I can sort of do, Nowitzki said. I might not be any good at any other thing anymore, but I can still score a little bit and help the team score, just helping offensively as much as I can. So its tough. It is tough to sit over there and watch. Adidas Ultra Boost Clearance Sale .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Adidas Ultra Boost Wholesale . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. http://www.cheapultraboost.net/ . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Ultra Boost Cheap Real . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Adidas Ultra Boost Clearance .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Nick Perkins scored 21 points, and Blake Hamilton had 11 assists and eight points as Buffalo routed Division III Nazareth 85-38 in their regular season home-opener on Thursday night.The Bulls (2-1) bounced back from an 86-53 loss at Xavier on Monday. Buffalo heads back on the road for a season-long six-game stretch, starting at the Great Alaska Shootout on Wednesday.Perkins shot 8 of 11 from the floor and had eight rebounds and four blocks. Hamilton finished 3-of-6 shooting aand had three steals and two blocks.ddddddddddddWillie Conner added 15 points for Buffalo (2-1), which shot 59 percent from the field. Ikenna Smart and Quate McKinzie added nine points apiece.Brendan Wind led Nazareth with 10 points. The Golden Flyers made just 16 of 61 field goals for 26-percent shooting. Josh Gillard scored nine points, all from 3-point range. ' ' '