It seems like every time you turn around, Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki is achieving another milestone. On Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Mavs great moved into fourth place on the NBA's all-time games played list, passing Karl Malone with 1,477 contests.

Next up? Malone's former Utah Jazz teammate John Stockton, whom Nowitzki actually should pass this season barring any injury.

This marked Nowitzki's sixth game of the season.

Going into the night, Dirk Nowitzki, now 40 years old, was averaging just 2.2 points over eight minutes per game on the year, shooting 30.8 percent from the floor, 20 percent from three-point range, and 100 percent from the free-throw line as he makes his way back from ankle surgery.

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It's painful to see Nowitzki so ineffective, but what can you expect from a guy in his 21st season coming off ankle surgery?

The big German was originally selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the ninth overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft but was immediately traded to the Mavs for big man Robert Traylor.

It seems safe to say that the Bucks kind of regret making that deal.

Dirk Nowitzki has gone on to enjoy a Hall-of-Fame career, owning career averages of 21.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while making 47.2 percent of his field-goal attempts, 38.3 percent of his long-distance tries, and 87.9 percent of his foul shots.

He has made 13 All-Star teams and won a championship in 2011, defeating the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in six games and receiving Finals MVP award after a legendary performance.

The Mavs came into play on Wednesday night with a record of 14-17.