Luka Doncic said “everything” hurt as he left the court after the Mavericks claimed a hard-fought win over Oklahoma City in Game 3 of their playoff series, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Doncic hasn’t talked much about his physical condition since spraining his right knee April 26 in the team’s first-round series, but today he admitted that playoff basketball is taking a toll on him.
“I’m battling out there, man,” he said. “I’m glad we got the win. I’m just trying to battle.”
The damage was compounded as Doncic landed hard on his tailbone with 1:28 left to play and tweaked his right knee in the game’s final minute. He appeared “beaten down and exhausted” as he headed to the locker room after the game, according to Townsend.
“On the last play, when I split two defenders, obviously nobody touched me,” Doncic said in a sarcastic reference to the fact no foul was called. “I hurt my knee again, but I’m just trying to battle out there, man. We got a win. That’s all that matters.”
There’s more from Dallas:
- Kyrie Irving helped to close out the victory with a clutch left-handed shot in the lane as he and Doncic are proving to be an effective combination in their first postseason together, notes Schuyler Dixon of The Associated Press. They each had 22 points, and Irving was 4-of-4 from the field in the fourth quarter. “One of my coaches just came up to me and said I waited too long, so obviously I’ve got to be better on my end,” Irving said. “We’re going against a young team. So we just want to continue to do the things that get us these W’s, and it starts on the defensive end.”
- The February trade for P.J. Washington is paying off at the best possible time, observes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. Washington followed his 29-point outburst in Game 2 with 27 points on Saturday, sinking 12 combined three-pointers in those two contests. “They’ve been leaving me in the corner so I’m just trying to take my time and knock them down,” Washington said. “They’re open shots, so for me, just take them with confidence. I’ve been working on them. That’s all I’m doing, honestly.”
- Head coach Jason Kidd’s contract extension adds two years to his current deal, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link). Woj adds that Kidd is now under contract through 2028, though that might be bad math, since he also said the coach’s current deal was set to expire after next season (which lines up with past reports). That would mean Kidd’s new extension runs through the 2026/27 season.
What happens when Doncic inevitably goes down with a multi week injury? What will be the public opinion? That he should have sat because he wasn’t healthy? Because I can tell you right now what public opinion would be had he chosen to rest…
League is desperately trying to put Dallas in wcf, and Boston, NY in ecf.
Wth are you smoking
Based on what? Obviously you haven’t been watching the games and are just being a troll.
Luca is a diva, he flails to sell calks, constantly chirps at the refs, and pretends to be injured constantly. Hard dude to root for.
Have you seen sga….. goes to the line all the time for touch calls
SGA gets calls…he doesn’t do the other 3 things, nice try though
PJ was the best trade deadline trade. I didn’t know he was this good. OG should have been the best deal. However, the best ability is availability, and he’s out again for my team when they need him most.
Have you seen_________? I’m not saying you’re wrong about Luca but you could insert a few star names in there. JOKIC leads the pack and LEBRON also immediately comes to mind and all you have to do watch a few minutes of any game to see it
It’s spelled Luka and it’s spelled calls. If you are going to talk s**t maybe spell the words correctly. “Pretends to be injured” obviously on top of spelling reading comprehension isn’t your thing either. He’s been battling this knee injury for a while. Maybe get a clue next time you decide to shoot off at the mouth and embarrass yourself with nonsense.
It’s spelled Luka and it’s spelled calls. “Pretends to be injured” he has been battling the knee injury for a while or could you not read that? Spelling and reading blunders all in one comment. How embarrassing.