Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been listed as questionable for Game 3 of the team’s second-round playoff series against the Okahoma City Thunder on Saturday afternoon. Doncic, who has been banged up all postseason, is dealing with knee and ankle issues.
Doncic sprained his knee in Game 3 of the Mavericks’ first-round series versus the Los Angeles Clippers and is now sporting a big brace. Then, in the fourth quarter of Dallas’ Game 2 win on Thursday, he got tangled up with Oklahoma City rookie Cason Wallace and tweaked his ankle.
“He just stepped on my foot, but nothing serious,” Doncic said during his post-game press conference. “I know he didn’t do it on purpose, so nothing serious. We just thought it was a foul. Other people would get a foul call on that one.”
Doncic remained in the game after the ankle incident, and even though he wasn’t moving all that well, he hit some big shots down the stretch to ensure the Mavericks secured a 119-110 win to even the series at 1-1. He finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Even though he has an injury designation, Doncic will almost certainly suit up in Game 3. The big question is what sort of performance he’ll be able to give his team.
While he’s still putting up big numbers — 28.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game — Doncic’s knee problem has prevented him from looking like his usual self so far in the playoffs. He’s shooting 40.9% from the field, which makes this by far his least efficient postseason, and the Game 2 win over the Thunder was just the second time in eight games that he shot over 50%.
The Mavericks were able to get past the dysfunctional Clippers despite some poor shooting from their best player, but it’s unlikely they’ll be able to do the same against the Thunder.
