Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić has been out since the final day of the NBA regular season with a left calf strain. Since then, the Mavericks and the Utah Jazz have split the first two games in Dallas as the two teams head to Salt Lake City in a best of five.
There might be some optimism for Dončić going into Thursday night’s Game 3 as he is listed as questionable on the injury report. And in a report by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Dončić revealed that he was “feeling good” but that if there’s a risk of aggravating his injury then he doesn’t think he’s going to play.
“If there’s going to be risk, I don’t think I’m going to play,” Dončić said. “But like I say, yesterday and today we did some good things. If it’s not risk, I don’t want to play limited minutes because I’ll be nervous. I want to be out there the most time as possible, but like I say, I’m going to see how I feel and we’re going to talk to the medical staff.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be 100 percent. I think that’s tough right now. But if I’m ready and there’s no risk of [aggravating the] injury, I’ll be out there.”
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd chimed in on Dončić’s status by not revealing very much. Kidd revealed, “We’ll see how he feels at game time.”
Jason Kidd on Luka Doncic: “We’ll see how he feels at game time.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 21, 2022
So yeah, the Mavs are putting their cards close to the vest. For what it’s worth, Dončić was practicing his soccer skills and looked pretty good there.
Luka Doncic’s calf appears healthy enough to work on his soccer skills. pic.twitter.com/y5mz6oZplp
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) April 21, 2022
It does make sense to be somewhat cautious. The Mavericks have already won one game without Dončić and while each game is important in the playoffs, they can afford to be a bit cautious. If the Jazz win on Thursday night and go to a 2-1 lead, maybe that expedites the situation. Essentially, the Mavericks should probably risk Dončić when they feel they absolutely have to. That or play him when he’s healthy.
[ESPN]
