Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki has called for the NBA regular season to be shortened rather than the length of games.

The league will test a 44-minute game between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics in pre-season, but the Mavs veteran believes that the number of games is the problem.

"I think you don't need 82 games to determine the best eight in each conference," Nowitzki told reporters.

"That could be done a lot quicker, but I always understand that it's about money, and every missed game means missed money for both parties, for the league, for the owners, for the players. I understand all that, and that's why I don't think it's going to change anytime soon."

Nowitzki specifically criticised the number of back-to-backs the players have to play and he also suggested fewer timeouts at the end of games to allow them to flow better.