Dirk Nowitzki: 'I tried to be more aggressive'

Dirk Nowitzki has admitted that he tried to be "more aggressive" during the Dallas Mavericks' win over the Utah Jazz.

The forward led the team with 31 points in the 108-101 victory, lifting him up to 12th in the NBA's all-time top scorers list.

The German told reporters: "I didn't even wait to see if they'd double team. I was going to get a shot up regardless. That got things jump-started. I was determined to set a more aggressive tone tonight.

"The way we've been playing offensively, something needed to change. I haven't been quite on fire lately, but I got out early and was really looking to get my groove.

"[Teammate Monta Ellis] is just so explosive off the pick-and-roll. He's fun to play with, and he just exploits any mistake the defenders make in their coverage."

Nowitzki is averaging 21.5 points per game this season.