By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic was out in the loss of the Dallas Mavericks to the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals and his condition ahead of Game 2 (18/4) doesn’t look to be promising.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim McMahon, Doncic is “unlikely” to play in the second game of the series and only a “dramatic” improvement will change this.
“Yesterday was another good day, and today he’s back on the court, so that’s a plus. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said on Doncic. The Slovenian All-Star did some light work and shooting during his team’s practice but didn’t engage in more heavy activities.
Doncic suffered a calf strain during in the third quarter of the Mavericks’ last regular-season game vs. the San Antonio Spurs a week ago and has been sidelined ever since. The fourth-seeded Mavs lost to the Jazz, with their offense being visibly affected by their superstar’s absence.
Before his injury, Doncic averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists to lead the Mavs to the best regular-season position since 2011 when they won the championship.