DALLAS – Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said forward Dirk Nowitzki has been able to do “a little more each day” on the court and there’s a possibility he may actually play in a game in the month of November.

“I think a couple of weeks ago I said that I’ll be thrilled if he played in the month of November,” Carlisle said. “If things keep going the way they’re going there’s a chance that that can happen, so we’ll see.

“He’s not there yet, he’s still a ways off, but steady progress and not setbacks. We’re getting closer.”

The Mavs only have four games remaining this month. They’ll host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday and the Boston Celtics on Saturday before playing in Houston on Nov. 28 and at the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 30.

Nowitzki hasn’t played in a game this season as he’s still recovering from left ankle surgery that he underwent back on Apr. 5. Carlisle said the 21-year veteran went through one practice session last week, but the Mavs didn’t have a contact practice on Tuesday.

“Although we did do some running and moving (on Tuesday), he did all that stuff,” Carlisle said. “But he’s been in most of the live scrimmages with our depth guys.

“He’s making a steady climb.”

Carlisle didn’t want to discuss how Nowitzki will fit into the Mavs’ rotation just yet.

“Let’s get him healthy first,” Carlisle said, “and talk about the other stuff later.”