Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic did not play in Game 1 of his team’s first round series against the Utah Jazz, and it’s not looking good for Game 2.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported this afternoon that Doncic is “unlikely” to play tomorrow night vs. Utah as he continues to deal with the effects of a strained left calf.
“He hasn’t yet been ruled out, but would have to make dramatic improvement in the next 24 hours to be cleared to play with that left calf strain,” Wojnarowski tweeted.
Doncic suffered the injury with his team leading by 18 points in the third quarter of the regular season finale, which has led to some fans questioning head coach Jason Kidd’s judgment for playing him that late in a meaningless game.
The longer Doncic has to sit out, the more the Mavs’ chances of winning this series plummet.
It’s gonna be real dramatic when Luka comes back for Game 3 and the Mavs run off four straight to win the series #ScaryHours https://t.co/ur7JJs1q0f
— Mavs Film Room 🐴🎥 (@MavsFilmRoom) April 17, 2022
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Expected this to be the case. https://t.co/L9RoPwst03
— Sam Gannon (@SamGannon87) April 17, 2022
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ATTN: MAVERICKS BETTORS #MFFL https://t.co/E4hMF6aWCI
— SNBets (@SNBets) April 17, 2022
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Certainly didn’t look like he was comfortable walking back to the Mavericks bench yesterday during the game. https://t.co/spHFQmTwTW
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 17, 2022
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Game 3 is a stretch too.
Tough timing on a frustrating injury. https://t.co/2Clz9NG04O
— Jesse Morse, MD (@DrJesseMorse) April 17, 2022
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With Doncic sitting, the fifth-seeded Jazz beat the fourth-seeded Mavericks in Game 1 on Saturday night. Game 2 is set for 8:30 p.m. ET tomorrow.
It would be massive for Dallas to “steal” that game without Doncic and head to Utah with the series tied and their star playmaker hopefully on his way back.
The post Luka Doncic Unlikely For Game 2: NBA World Reacts appeared first on The Spun.