Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) pats Dallas Mavericks guard Monta Ellis (11) in the second half of NBA Basketball action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on Tuesday, March 25, 2014. Dallas won 128-119.(Brad Loper/The Dallas Morning News)

It’s always amusing to hear the No. 7 scorer in NBA history talk about what he can’t do.

And Dirk Nowitzki does it so matter-of-factly.

He talks like a common NBA journeyman about Monta Ellis’ physical gifts — and acknowledges that he can only dream about having those gifts.

He cannot do what Ellis does. And to hear him explain what Ellis did in Monday’s overtime win against Brooklyn makes you understand that Nowitzki knows beyond any doubt that he never would have been cast in White Men Can’t Jump because he really, really can’t jump.

Ellis sent Monday’s game into overtime, and the way he did it was remarkable to Nowitzki. The 6-1 guard got caught on the perimeter with the clock running down. He wheeled toward the paint, rose into the air, drew contact from Nets big man Mason Plumlee and ended up at the free throw line with 10 seconds left in regulation and the Mavericks trailing by two.

“To have the ability to hang in the air — he’s so athletic,” Nowitzki said. “If he had my hops, he probably would have come down way before Plumlee would ever get there. He’s so athletic, he took off and hung in the air, waited on the contact and got the two shots. And obviously, it’s a lot of pressure. To step up and make both is phenomenal and shows that he’s a clutch player.”

It’s not the first time he’s done that. He made all three free throws when he was fouled on a 3-point try in Chicago to send that game to overtime.

These games prove that the Mavericks now are comfortable putting the ball in Ellis’ hands and letting him win or lose games for them. It used to be Nowitzki’s job. And it will be at times moving forward.

But more and more, it’s Ellis’ time to shine when the game is on the line.

“Especially down the stretch,” Nowitzki said. “We got [Rajon] Rondo, and he is a great setup guy. In crunch time, it’s not like he’s going to take the ball and take over and take the final shot.

“The ball is going to be in Monta’s hands a lot in those situations. And he’s come through for us so much, just in the year and a half that he’s been here. And he’s going to continue to get his chances and make plays for us.”

Rick Carlisle must feel like a kid in a candy store when he gets a chance to draw up plays at crunch time. But he has seen what works, and Ellis has produced too well not to get more chances.

“He’s the first option in a lot of cases,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got other options, too, which is great. But he’s our leading scorer. He’s our main guy.”

The overtime-forcing play in Brooklyn was a great example, he said.

“We were a little stuck on that last play, and he made a basketball play, and got us to the free-throw line,” Carlisle said. “And the pressure doesn’t get any bigger than two free throws to tie the game. He knocked them in calmly. And he got the first two buckets of overtime.”

Ellis is averaging 20.6 points per game, along with 4.4 assists. He’s shooting 46 percent from the field.

Are those All-Star caliber numbers?

In the Western Conference, maybe not. When you look at James Harden, Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson, those are five guards in the West averaging more points than Ellis. And that doesn’t even include players such as Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Tony Parker.

That’s eight star-level guards that probably deserve long looks when it comes to inclusion on the Western Conference All-Star team.

“The West is just so loaded, especially at the guard spots,” Nowitzki said. “The teams are loaded, the players are loaded, the guard spots are loaded, so it’s going to be tough. But he sure deserves it. I’d be happy for him.”

Does Ellis deserve a nod over Nowitzki?

“Yes, absolutely,” Nowitzki said. “He’s been spectacular for us. He’s in his prime, and he’s carried us at times.”