Four days after Luka Doncic suffered the calf strain that’s threatening his first-round playoff availability, one thing has become clear among the myriad questions the Dallas Mavericks and their superstar face:
The Mavericks haven’t made a decision about whether Doncic will or will not play in Game 1 on Saturday afternoon against the Utah Jazz.
Based on NBA players’ typical recovery periods for calf strains, Doncic’s chances to play Saturday, and perhaps beyond, appear in doubt.
Experts interviewed by The Dallas Morning News after Doncic’s injury said mild, Grade 1 strains often require seven to 10 days to heal. The team has not specified the severity of Doncic’s injury.
But, the 23-year-old All-Star has continued to receive round-the-clock treatment on his calf while working through exercises and rehabilitation tactics with the hopes of healing in time.
”He’s progressing,” coach Jason Kidd said after the team’s practice on Thursday. “He’s doing good. Didn’t practice, but is in good spirits, and had a good day.”
“He’s smiling, and he’s happy. He’s in good spirits, and it looks like he’s improving.”
During the portion of practice open to reporters Thursday, Doncic spent a few minutes in the weight room with members of the Mavericks’ medical staff before walking into the training room and out of sight from the practice courts.
Just before practice opened, he’d been working on a treadmill — perhaps a step up from exercising on a stationary bike the previous two days.
As the Mavericks finished daily interviews on Thursday, Shams Charania of The Athletic cited anonymous sources to report that Doncic “is expected” to miss Game 1 with the calf strain.
But, Dallas’ medical staff hasn’t made an official decision.
The Mavericks will submit a formal injury report to the league before 5 p.m. Friday to label the statuses — probable, questionable, doubtful, etc. — of all players with injury concerns entering Game 1. They will likely wait until late Friday or early Saturday to make a definitive in-or-out decision for Doncic based on how his calf responds to the next two days of treatment.
