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Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will not be in the team’s playoff lineup against the Utah Jazz until he’s fully recovered from his calf injury, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday on SportsCenter.
Wojnarowski added the Mavericks don’t want to risk Doncic suffering further injury and that unless he could “get on the court today and really be able to move around and be pain-free,” it’s unlikely he’ll suit up for Game 2 on Monday.
“Then you look towards Game 3 in Utah later in the week, which gets you out 10 more days from that injury,” Wojnarowski said. “We’ll know more today, but I think for Luka Doncic the idea of him going out there any less than 100 percent is something both the Mavericks and Luka Doncic, his agent Billy Duffy, they want to stay away from.”
Doncic was diagnosed with a calf strain on April 12, and the Mavericks said there was no timetable for his return.
Doncic appeared in just 65 regular-season games during the 2021-22 campaign while dealing with various ailments, but when healthy, he’s often the best player on the floor. He averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists while shooting 45.7 percent from the floor and 35.3 percent from deep in his fourth NBA season.
When Doncic misses time, Jalen Brunson typically takes over in his absence. The 25-year-old had a breakout season, averaging 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from deep in 79 games.
In addition, Spencer Dinwiddie sees more playing time whenever Doncic is sidelined. The veteran guard was acquired from the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline and averaged 15.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 23 regular-season games with the Mavs.
Against Utah on Saturday, Brunson scored 24 points, in addition to seven rebounds and five assists, while Dinwiddie finished with 22 points, four rebounds and eight assists.
The Mavericks enter Game 2 down 1-0 to the Jazz, who took the first game 99-93.