Doncic should probably skip Game 4
Dallas Mavericks All-Star forward Luka Doncic will be a gametime decision, which translates to “not good” for him playing in Game 4.
If this is even remotely close, Doncic should sit on the bench in street clothes.
We’re not talking about Game 7 of the NBA Finals and the Mavs need Doncic to pull a Willis Reed at Madison Square Garden.
We’re talking about Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs played at Mickey Mouse’s house in front of fake fans.
The Mavs don’t need a Kevin Durant moment and have their meal-ticket player suffer an even more serious injury the way KD did in the 2019 NBA Finals.
Doncic suffered a sprained left ankle against the L.A. Clippers in the third quarter of the Mavs’ Game 3 loss of their first-round playoff series on Friday night.
Game 4 is 2:30 p.m. today. The Clippers lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Mavs Coach Rick Carlisle said the scheduled MRI for the ankle has not been completed.
“I believe this is going to be most likely a game-time decision type of situation,” Carlisle said on Saturday afternoon on a Zoom call interview with the media. “I don’t know; I can’t tell you the exact timing. He’s not doing anything on the floor today. It’s treatment.”
Carlisle also said, “He plays hurt a lot. We don’t want him to play injured, though. That’s a different situation. You are bringing greater risk into it. The quick turnaround presents more challenges.”
Doncic turned his ankle in the third quarter in Game 3. He went to the locker room, and returned for the start of the fourth quarter.
Although he did play long enough to register a triple-double, after three minutes of the fourth quarter he took himself out of the game. The ankle was bothering him too much.
The question for the Mavs, and Doncic, is whether he is playing hurt or injured. You can live with one, while the other is stupid.
“Some of it’s going to be based on MRI results. Some of it’s based on how he feels, and his desire to play or not play,” Carlisle said. “Some of it will come down to [trainer] Casey Smith, and what he believes the right thing for Luka and the team. That’s how we’ll gauge it. It’s not a simple open and close.
“We are playing for our lives here. We are playing to tie the series.”
The Mavs have played without Doncic before, and done OK with Kristaps Porzingis as their primary scorer.
On Friday night, after Doncic left, they moved the ball well and briefly made a run to turn a blowout into a reachable margin.
“You know how dynamic he is with the ball,” Mavs guard Trey Burke said in a Zoom call. “When [the injury] happened, I think we did a good job of staying together offensively. The ball still moved, there was a lot of penetration. We got a lot of good looks.”
The Mavs lost 130-122.
The Mavs are not going to win this series without Doncic. In his first NBA playoffs, he is averaging 27 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists per game.
The Mavs may not win this series with Doncic.
“We want him to play. He’s our best player,” Mavs forward Maxi Kleber said in a Zoom call. “He’s going to be the future player of this franchise for a long time. You want to make sure you’re not taking any unnecessary risks.”
If this is much of a risk, the reward is not worth it and Luka should be on the bench.