Doncic: ‘Feeling Good’ Ahead Of Mavericks, Jazz Game 3
Apr 20, 2022, 12:49 PM | Updated: Apr 21, 2022, 1:07 pm
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic celebrates from the sidelines against the Utah Jazz (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Luka Doncic spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a calf strain in the Dallas Mavericks season finale win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Doncic missed the first two games of the Mavericks’ opening-round series against the Utah Jazz which the teams split one game apiece.
One day after the reports emerged that the superstar guard was eyeing a return in either game 3 or 4 in Salt Lake City, Doncic discussed his availability.
“I don’t know if I’m going to be 100 percent,” Doncic told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I think that’s tough right now. But if I’m ready and there’s no risk of [aggravating the] injury, I’ll be out there.”
Luka Doncic: "I don’t know if I’m going to be 100 percent. I think that’s tough right now. But if I’m ready and there’s no risk of [aggravating the] injury, I’ll be out there."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 20, 2022
According to MacMahon, the guard said he is “feeling good,” and willing to play as long as there’s no risk of re-aggravating the injury but isn’t sure if he’ll be ready ahead of Thursday’s game three.
After splitting the first two games of the series, the Mavericks may feel less urgency to rush Doncic back into action, potentially allowing the guard an addition 48 hours of rehabilitation before Saturday’s Game 4.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Hopefully, it’s a green light.”
Good to see our guy back out there 💦 pic.twitter.com/UcKtZEcOCR
— x – Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 20, 2022
After the Jazz took game one of the series in Dallas, the Mavericks answered with an impressive performance in game two led by guard Jalen Brunson who had a career-high 41 points in the series-leveling victory.
Reserve center Maxi Kleber added 25 points in a knockdown 8-11 three-point shooting performance to send the series back to Utah with the momentum favoring Dallas.
During the regular season, Doncic led the Mavericks in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and usage percentage.
The Jazz and Mavericks will tip-off at 7 pm MT and can be heard on KSL NewsRadio and The Zone Sports Network. The game will be televised on NBATV, AT&T SportsNet, and FuboTV.
