By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Real Madrid guard and potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft Luka Doncic is ready to resume playing activities in the game of his team against Zalgiris Kaunas, Thursday (23/3), for Round 28 of the EuroLeague Regular Season.
Doncic practiced with the rest of his squad and is expected to be in the 12-man lineup that Real head coach Pablo Laso is going to use vs. the Lithuanian side.
The 19-year-old Slovenian player had been sidelined for two weeks following a hip injury that kept him out of three EuroLeague games, against Panathinaikos, Olimpia Milano, and Valencia. His team won the first two matches but lost to the “Taronja” on Tuesday (21/3).
Real Madrid is currently 16 – 11 and fourth in the EuroLeague standings and has clinched a playoff ticket with three games remaining for the completion of the regular season. A victory over Zalgiris would boost them towards “sealing” a spot in the Top 4 and subsequently gaining homecourt advantage during the playoffs. In the meantime, Sarunas Jasikevicius’ team is also 16 – 11 but has yet to mathematically advance in the postseason.
Doncic has been averaging 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4.5 assists per game in 25:43 minutes over 24 EuroLeague games this season. He’s leading the competition in PIR average with 23.1 and is considered one of the favorites for winning MVP.
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