Luka Dončić is expected to miss Game 1 of the Mavericks’ NBA playoff game vs. the Jazz on Saturday, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The Mavericks star suffered a strained left calf during Sunday’s regular season finale against the Spurs.
Charania mentioned that calf strains tend to keep players out around seven days, at minimum, and Dallas is treating this injury as day-to-day. Depending on how Dončić feels by the following Monday for Game 2, it is possible he could miss at least two games.
“Luka Dončić would love to play Saturday, he’d love to play in Games 1 and 2 in this series,” Charania said on Stadium. “It’s unfortunate timing wise. As of right now, we’ll see as this series goes on.”
He added, “As much as Luka Dončić is a competitor and wants to be on the floor, this is going to be lingering and looming over the entire series.”
The first two games of the Mavericks vs. Jazz series will be held in Dallas. Dončić will miss at least one of the home games, if not both.
Charania didn’t give any insight into when Dončić is likely to return, but given the average timetable the reporter mentioned, the guard could be ready for Game 3, which doesn’t take place until Thursday, April 21. That would be 11 days past the date of the injury.
In 65 games played this season, Dončić averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. He leads the Mavericks with all three averages.
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