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Luka Doncic

Optimism For Doncic Return In Game 3 Or Game 4

April 19th, 2022 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s optimism that Mavericks star Luka Doncic will be able to return from his calf strain in one of the next two games in Utah, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The Jazz will host Game 3 on Thursday and Game 4 on Saturday before the series shifts back to Dallas for Game 5 next Monday.

According to Charania, Doncic – who strained his left calf on April 10 – has improved in recent days. His workouts over the next couple days could determine whether he attempts to return in Game 3 or Game 4, Charania adds.

The Jazz defeated the Doncic-less Mavericks in Game 1 of the series on Saturday, but Dallas bounced back on Monday to even the series. That Game 2 victory was a crucial one, allowing the Mavs to split their first two home games without Doncic before going on the road.

If Doncic is unavailable for Game 3 on Thursday, the Mavs will have to once again lean heavily on point guards Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie, who combined for 58 points, 11 assists, and 12 rebounds in Monday’s win.

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Northwest Notes: Edwards, Jazz, Mitchell, Trail Blazers

April 18th, 2022 at 10:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Anthony Edwards has posted some big offensive numbers during the postseason and the Timberwolves’ second-year guard is embracing the spotlight, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Edwards racked up 36 points in the Game 1 upset of Memphis and was thrilled to have a national audience to witness it.

“I think it’s very important to play at my best because they hide me during the regular season as far as no national TV games,” Edwards said. “So, people don’t really get to see me play unless I have an enormous game where I score 40-something or hit a game-winning shot or I get a huge dunk. I feel like games like this, I have to take advantage of because it’s the only time I get to be on TV so I’m trying to showcase my talent and everything I can do.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • Luka Doncic‘s calf strain has actually put more pressure on the Jazz this postseason, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News opines. Dallas evened up the series with a victory in Game 2 on Monday. If the Jazz fail to eliminate a Mavericks team operating without their franchise player for at least part of the series, they would likely undergo major changes throughout the organization this offseason.
  • Donovan Mitchell made some comments out of frustration late in the regular season as the Jazz stumbled into the playoffs, saying “it’s the same s—” that had led to the team’s demise in previous seasons. However, Mitchell addressed the team shortly after those comments were made to reassure his teammates that he had seen growth with this current group and still believed in their chances to make a deep run, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports.
  • The Trail Blazers have the resources for an accelerated rebuild, ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) writes in his offseason guide. They can go over the cap to re-sign key free agents Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic and use their $20.9MM trade exception to pull off a major deal. They’ll also have the $10.3MM mid-level exception at their disposal in free agency.
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Luka Doncic Out For Game 2

April 18th, 2022 at 6:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

APRIL 18: Doncic won’t play tonight, the team’s PR department tweets.

APRIL 17, 4:00pm: Dallas announced (Twitter link) that Doncic has indeed been listed as doubtful for Game 2. The team added that swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. and reserve guard Frank Ntilikina will remain sidelined as well.

APRIL 17, 1:34pm: Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Doncic appears doubtful to suit up for Dallas in Game 2 of the club’s second game against the Jazz Monday, per Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Woj notes that Doncic is not officially sidelined yet, but it appears that his left calf strain is still affecting him enough that he may have to wait a bit longer to make his 2022 postseason debut. The fifth-seeded Jazz beat the fourth-seeded Mavericks 99-93 on Saturday, with Dallas down its best player.

“Yesterday was another good day, and today he’s back on the court [doing light shooting for two straight days], so that’s a plus,” head coach Jason Kidd said of the star’s progress back from the injury. “And we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”

This report is not entirely unexpected, as Woj had previously indicated that there was “significant concern” Doncic would miss this second contest as he continues to rehab the calf. Falling down 2-0 at home to an experienced Jazz team, ahead of a road trip to Utah, would be quite the deficit for Dallas.

In 65 games for a 52-30 Mavericks club this season, Doncic averaged a stellar 28.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG and 8.7 APG on .457/.353/.744 shooting splits. The 23-year-old has made the playoffs for the third straight season, but has yet to lead his team beyond the first round.

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Luka Doncic Won’t Play In Game 1 Against Utah

April 16th, 2022 at 10:23am CST by Rory Maher

APRIL 16: Doncic is officially listed as out for Game 1 by the team’s PR department (Twitter link).

APRIL 15: Doncic will miss Game 1 and there’s “significant concern” about his availability for Game 2, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

APRIL 14: Luka Doncic is expected to miss Game 1 of the Mavericks‘ playoff series against Utah on Saturday, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).

A report on Wednesday indicated that there was “a lot of skepticism” that Doncic would be available for the opener after he suffered a left calf strain on Sunday in Dallas’ regular season finale. Muscle strains are notoriously tricky to deal with and there’s a risk that the star guard could further injure the calf if it’s not fully healed.

As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski relayed on Wednesday, Doncic’s injury is “more than just a mild calf strain” and he might miss Game 2 on Monday as well. Game 3 starts next Thursday, so Doncic will have a couple extra days rest after Game 2 before the series shifts to Utah.

The 23-year-old averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.2 steals on .457/.353/.744 shooting in 65 games this season (35.4 minutes per night), so his absence will have a major impact on the four-five matchup. In 13 career playoff games from 2020-21, Doncic put up 33.5 points, 8.8 points, 9.5 assists and 1.2 steals on .494/.392/.600 shooting, but Dallas fell to the Clippers in the first-round both seasons.

The Mavs figure to heavily rely on guards Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie with Doncic expected to be sidelined for at least the first game against the Jazz.

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Injury Notes: Mavericks, Murray, Curry, Adebayo, More

April 15th, 2022 at 7:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who will reportedly miss Game 1 of the team’s playoff series against Utah on Saturday, has officially been listed as doubtful on the team’s injury report (Twitter link). Tim Hardaway Jr. (recovering from left foot surgery) and Frank Ntilikina (recovering from an illness) will also miss the contest.

Hardaway is considered unlikely to return this season, though he hasn’t given up hope of a comeback if Dallas makes a deep playoff run. The Mavs later announced (via Twitter) that Ntilikina underwent a tonsillectomy, which is why he’s sidelined. The 23-year-old is back with the team and gradually returning to on-court activities.

Here are some more injury and COVID-related updates from around the NBA:

  • Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has been ruled out for Game 1 against Golden State on Saturday, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The news isn’t surprising, as Murray has missed the entire season while recovering from a torn ACL suffered last April.
  • Slater also notes that Stephen Curry has been listed as probable for the Warriors. He’s on track to play his first game since suffering a left foot sprain and bone bruise on March 16.
  • Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the team is hopeful that Bam Adebayo will clear the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols in time to play in Game 1 against Cleveland or Atlanta on Sunday, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Adebayo entered the protocols on April 10 and players must stay isolated for at least five days unless they return two straight negative tests at least 24 hours apart, so he should be cleared soon.
  • Suns guard Landry Shamet was unable to practice on Friday due to a left foot injury, according to a report from The Associated Press. “Injuries are a part of it,” coach Monty Williams said. “We’re not sure the severity of it. He just didn’t practice today and that’s all we have to report. But we’re built for situations like this. … We just have to deal with stuff as it pops up.”
  • Luke Kennard will miss Friday’s win-or-go-home game for the Clippers, as Mirjam Swanson of the Southern California News Group relays (via Twitter). Kennard is dealing with a right hamstring injury and his absence will be a key one for Los Angeles, who faces New Orleans to determine the No. 8 seed in the West.
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Postseason Injury Updates: Curry, Kennard, Doncic, Saric, Williams

April 14th, 2022 at 9:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Earlier on Thursday, reports surfaced that Warriors star guard Stephen Curry was on track to return from his foot injury for Game 1 against Denver on Saturday. That didn’t change after the team’s scrimmage today.

Afterward, coach Steve Kerr said that Curry is “optimistic he’ll play Saturday,” Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Curry wouldn’t say it’s a given he’ll play, but that’s his expectation, Kendra Andrews of ESPN writes.

“Everything has been positive in terms of getting back out there and understanding I’ll be ready to play whenever that time is. I’m hoping it’s Saturday,” he said. “I’ll try to be the best version I can be having missing a little bit of time … I have high confidence I can go out there and help our team win.”

Curry will be on an unspecified minutes restriction, Andrews adds.

We have more postseason-related injury news:

  • The Clippers are listing swingman Luke Kennard as questionable for Friday’s do-or-die play-in game against New Orleans, Scott Kushner of NOLA.com tweets. Kennard tweaked his right hamstring during the regular-season finale on Sunday.
  • While Luka Doncic reportedly will miss Game 1 of the Mavericks’ playoff series against Utah, the team has yet to officially rule him out, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News reports. Coach Jason Kidd said Doncic is “progressing” from the calf strain he suffered in the regular-season finale. “He’s doing good,” Kidd said. “Didn’t practice, but is in good spirits, and had a good day.”
  • It’s very unlikely Dario Saric will suit up for the Suns during the playoffs. However, he left the door open a crack, telling the media he could return in an emergency situation where multiple Suns big men get hurt and he’s feeling healthy enough to play, according to Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com. Saric tore the ACL in his right knee last July during Game 1 of the Finals.
  • Celtics center Robert Williams continue to “ramp up” his left knee rehab, according to coach Ime Udoka, though he’s still not cleared for contact, Jared Weiss tweets. “He’s getting on court basketball drills, mixing in pretty much everything,” Udoka said. “Not contact, but any basketball drill. Getting a lot of shots up, weight-bearing, strength, agility. It’s low level, but he’s ramping up day by day and feeling good about it.”
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Luka Doncic May Not Be Ready For Playoff Opener

April 13th, 2022 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s “a lot of skepticism” that Mavericks star Luka Doncic will be available for Game 1 of their playoff series with the Jazz, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said tonight on “NBA Countdown” (video link).

Doncic suffered a strained left calf Sunday in Dallas’ final regular season game. The Mavericks aren’t required to submit an injury report until Friday, so there may be no official word until then, but Wojnarowski said the outlook seems pessimistic that Doncic will play in the Saturday afternoon game.

Sources tell Wojnarowski that Doncic’s injury is “more than just a mild calf strain.” He’s expected to do everything be can to be ready, but Woj cautions that it’s the type of injury that can be aggravated if it’s not fully healed.

He adds that Dallas is facing the possibility that Doncic may miss Monday night’s Game 2 as well.

“If this was the regular season, you wouldn’t even be talking about him possibly playing this weekend,” Wojnarowski said, while adding that he expects a final decision on Doncic’s availability for Game 1 to go “down to the wire” Friday or Saturday.

The Mavericks and Jazz will have two days off after Game 2, so Doncic will have a cushion to recover before the series shifts to Utah. Any games that Doncic misses could have a profound impact on the series, as he put up All-Star  numbers again this season, averaging 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists in 65 games.

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And-Ones: Monthly Awards, Hollis-Jefferson, Cooper

April 12th, 2022 at 3:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets guard Jalen Green and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes were named the Rookies of the Month for March/April in the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter).

Green got off to an up-and-down start this season but finished strong, averaging 22.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 3.2 APG on .484/.395/.763 shooting in 22 games in March and April. Barnes helped the Raptors secure the No. 5 seed in the East by putting up 16.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 4.0 APG on 50.5% shooting in his last 22 contests.

The NBA also announced its Coaches of the Month for March/April on Tuesday (Twitter link). Mavericks coach Jason Kidd won the Western award for a 16-5 run to the end of the season; Ime Udoka, whose Celtics finished with a 15-4 stretch, earned the honor in the East.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

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Injury Updates: Doncic, Allen, Kennard, Collins, Niang

April 12th, 2022 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks put out a press release on Tuesday formally confirming that Luka Doncic is dealing with a strained left calf and announcing there’s no timetable for his return.

Dallas won’t have to officially list Doncic on the injury report until Friday, so the club will likely continue to be cagey about his availability for Game 1 vs. Utah. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd declined to offer any specifics on Tuesday, offering coy responses about Doncic’s ability to practice and the possibility that he’ll play on Saturday, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.

For what it’s worth, Kidd said multiple times that Doncic is “in great spirits,” while Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie offered a positive assessment of his teammate’s status (Twitter link via Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News): “He seemed solid to me. I mean, he don’t seem like a guy that’s going to miss too much time, if any.”

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

  • The Cavaliers have officially listed Jarrett Allen (finger) as out for Tuesday’s play-in game vs. Brooklyn. An earlier report suggested there’s some hope that Allen would be able to play on Friday if Cleveland loses tonight.
  • Clippers sharpshooter Luke Kennard (hamstring) had been officially listed as questionable for Tuesday’s play-in game, but he didn’t make the trip to Minnesota, according to head coach Tyronn Lue (Twitter link via Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times).
  • Hawks big man John Collins, out since March 11 due to finger and foot injuries, played some 4-on-4 over the weekend, but head coach Nate McMillan isn’t sure whether he’ll be available for Wednesday’s play-in game vs. Charlotte, writes Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s been moving a lot more, and today was pretty much shooting. … We’ll see tomorrow,” McMillan said on Tuesday. “We’ll see how he feels after the weekend of play and what he went through today.”
  • After missing the last two games of the regular season with a knee issue, Sixers forward Georges Niang was able to practice on Tuesday and should be ready for Game 1 on Saturday, head coach Doc Rivers told reporters, including Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
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Luka Doncic Suffers Calf Strain In Mavs’ Regular Season Finale

April 11th, 2022 at 7:29pm CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 11: An MRI confirmed Doncic’s calf strain, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. The Mavs have not set a timetable for his return and won’t be obligated to provide an update on Doncic’s status for Game 1 until later in the week.

APRIL 10: Star guard Luka Doncic left the Mavericks‘ regular season finale vs. San Antonio on Sunday in the third quarter due to what the team is calling a left calf strain (Twitter link). Doncic limped to the locker room after sustaining the injury and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.

It’s certainly not great timing for Doncic and the Mavericks, who have earned the No. 4 seed in the West and are looking to make a deep playoff run this spring.

As Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes observes (via Twitter), calf strains can result in a wide range of recovery timelines depending on the severity and the location. On average, a player who sustained the injury this season was out for 16 days, per Stotts, but some players returned much quicker than that.

One factor working in Doncic’s favor is that Dallas’ first-round series won’t tip off until Saturday, so he’ll have the better part of a week to try to get healthy. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), there’s initial optimism that the All-NBA guard hasn’t suffered a significant injury.

It looked earlier this weekend as if Doncic wouldn’t even be active for the Mavs’ regular season finale, since he was assessed with his 16th technical foul on Friday night, which would have triggered an automatic one-game suspension. However, the NBA rescinded that technical on Saturday, allowing Doncic to suit up on Sunday.

If Doncic has to miss any playoff games, the Mavs would lean more heavily on point guards Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie for scoring and play-making.

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