The Mavericks don’t expect star guard Luka Doncic to be under any restrictions when their series with the Clippers resumes Sunday, writes Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. Doncic had been dealing with the effects of a sprained left ankle he suffered in the second half of Game 3, but an unexpected three-day break in the playoff schedule has allowed it to heal.
Doncic fought through the pain to deliver a remarkable performance in Game 4, posting 43 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists and nailing a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. He is officially listed as questionable for Game 6, but coach Rick Carlisle told reporters today that Doncic has made significant progress.
“Ankle’s doing well, all things considered,” Carlisle said. “The extra two or three days is a plus, certainly. In practice today, he looked pretty good, so going into tomorrow, I don’t think he’s going to be limited.”
There’s more Mavericks news to pass along:
- Injuries will be a concern as Dallas tries to keep its season alive, Caplan adds in the same story. In addition to Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. (cervical strain), Dorian Finney-Smith (left hip strain) and Trey Burke (left ankle sprain) are all listed as questionable for Game 6.
- The knee issue that has sidelined Kristaps Porzingis may change the way the Mavericks deal with him moving forward, suggests Tim Cato of The Athletic. The team needs to recognize that Porzingis could eventually develop chronic knee problems, Cato states. He advises the Mavs to expand their frontcourt depth in case Porzingis has to miss numerous games every season and points out that there has never been another 7’3″ player with his mobility who plays so many minutes. Cato believes the organization should consider limiting Porzingis to about 30 minutes per game and reducing his travel schedule.
- Like all the remaining teams, the Mavericks face the challenge of putting aside the emotions of a difficult week and concentrating on basketball, Caplan writes in a separate story. “We’re going to go … whistle to whistle, timeout to timeout,” Carlisle said, “and we’re going to do everything possible to get to a Game 7.”
So with those kind of restrictions. He’s not a max player. He needs to add on weight and muscle. To protect his body. Long and lanky is not a plus at his size. Most centers have issues with their joints. The stop and go and physicality is not made for bigs. Needs to redefine his gm. If he wants a long career. The hype of NYC made him. He should concentrate on best way to have a long career. So should Mavs.
The hype for him in NYC wasn’t unlike Linsanity five years earlier.
Hopefully he can stay healthy enough to have a better career than Lin.
Lin played 35 games for the Knicks and averaged 14 points. His “Hype” was in large part a bit of a joke.
KP6 career is already so very much better than Lin’s that is outrageous to even compare them…
KP6 is an all-star that has averaged 20+ PPG in various seasons & so on…
Lin never did anything!!!
DAntoni offense, pick n roll. Was big part of Lin success. He played it well. But it was Melo who ran him out. Melo did not want to share the lights lol. Plus big contract Rockets offered. I always supported Linsanity.
Trey Burke is crucial. He scores points nobody else can and gives Doncic a break from doing everything. He doesn’t involve any teammates, which is normally not good, and I can see why previous teams gave up on him as a PG. But he can turn empty possessions to points, keeps momentum going, and doesn’t distract the team from it’s Doncic-y frame of mind.
Actually to beat the Clippers everyone is important! Highly talented if not happy.
The Sixers made a mistake by waiving him and retaining O’Quinn instead when they already had Embiid, Pelle, and Horford. Burke would’ve been useful as instant offense off the bench and could space the floor to keep defenders honest. If only…
The Unicorn will never be the player he was hyped to Be. His body is like a postal package marked: Fragile
Funny how this season KP6 has gone beyond his expectations ever in NYK… sounds just like another salty knickers fan to me!
KP was having his best yr when he got hurt. You really should look things up before posting. You make it too easy lol. We stopped having expectations. When he played hardball on resigning. He’s was a Melo follower. That’s why he followed him out the door. Best trade we ever made.
link to basketball-reference.com
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