DALLAS — The Mavericks hope Luka Doncic will return from his left calf strain soon.
Doncic and coach Jason Kidd provided an update Wednesday afternoon, but there was little clarity on Doncic’s playing status for Thursday night’s Game 3 against the Utah Jazz.
Just before the team’s flight to Salt Lake City, Kidd said the chance of his star guard playing Thursday is a matter of “how he feels tomorrow.”
“He’s doing the work that the medical staff has asked him to do, and there hasn’t been any setback. He feels great, so I think he just continues to come in with that good attitude that at some point, he’ll get that green light to play,” he said, via The Dallas Morning News’ Callie Caplan
Doncic, who spoke to reporters for the first time since his injury, said he was “feeling good,” but did not know one way or the other if he was going to play.
“Today and yesterday I did a little bit. We shouldn’t rush anything, but step by step, I think I’m improving a lot, and I’m getting better,” Doncic said, via Caplan.
While Doncic has missed the first two games of the first-round series, he’s progressed in activity and intensity during each workout in view of reporters — from stationary exercise bike to treadmill to light shooting workouts early this week.
Game 3 will mark 11 days out from when Doncic strained his left calf in the April 10 regular-season finale by planting his left leg when he stepped to change directions on offense.
Sports medicine experts told The Dallas Morning News that minor, Grade 1 calf strains often take seven to 10 days to heal, but the Mavericks haven’t revealed the severity of Doncic’s injury.
Injury analyst Jeff Stotts, who tracks NBA injury trends for InStreetClothes, said NBA players who suffered calf strains this season missed an average of 16 days. Reserve guard Frank Ntilikina, the only other Maverick to strain his calf this season, missed four games over 12 days.
