Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić clearly isn’t playing at 100 percent as he and his team look to break their series deadlock with the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs.
Dončić told reporters Wednesday his sprained right knee is “not great” and that he’d probably be resting if this were the regular season.
Adding to his problems, the five-time All-Star is also feeling under the weather.
Doncic is still sick, didn’t do much in shootaround. He has been sick for nearly a week and admits that if this was a regular season game he probably wouldn’t play. pic.twitter.com/tTmK8oeJXs
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) May 1, 2024
Injuries to notable players is a theme across the postseason. The New York Knicks are without Julius Randle thanks to season-ending shoulder surgery. The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard came back against Dallas only to be ruled out again due to knee trouble. The Miami Heat (Jimmy Butler) and Milwaukee Bucks (Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard) are staring at elimination in large part because they’re lacking key contributors.
Dončić’s importance to the Mavs largely goes without saying. He’s one of three MVP finalists after averaging a league-high 33.9 points along with 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists during the regular season, and his production hasn’t dropped off much in the playoffs. Through four games against L.A., he’s putting up 29.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists per contest.
Kyrie Irving is stepping up in a big way and showing why Dallas acquired him in the first place. The dynamic guard isn’t enough on his own to catapult the team toward the kind of run it wants from this season, though.
While it’s good he’s not too hurt to play, Dončić’s knee sprain raises concerns about the Mavericks’ championship credentials, assuming they can even navigate their way past the Clippers.
