Is Luka Dončić playing tonight against the Utah Jazz? | NBA Playoffs 2022
Luka Dončić is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz.
The Dallas Mavericks are gearing up to take on the Utah Jazz in the second game of their first-round matchup.
The Mavericks excelled in the regular season with Dončić running the show. The team held the fifth-best offensive rating and finished the regular season as the fourth seed in the highly competitive Western Conference.
Dallas got even better with the addition of Spencer Dinwiddie after a trade with the Washington Wizards that saw Kristaps Porzingis sent to Washington.
However, they were handed a reality check by Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz in game one of the series. The Dallas Mavericks struggled without their superstar on the floor to run the show for them. Utah won comfortably with a 99-93 victory.
Sights set on Game 2
@TIAA | #dALLasIN https://t.co/AOCym5Qj2s
The biggest reason why the Mavericks lost game one was because of the absence of Luka Dončić. He orchestrates nearly all of the team's offensive possessions when he's on the floor.
Dončić had missed 17 games in the regular season due to various injuries and the Mavericks won only eight of those games.
Luka Dončić's status for tonight's game against the Utah Jazz
The Dallas Mavericks have officially listed Luka Dončić as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Utah Jazz. Dončić missed the first game of the series due to a calf strain, and his progress has been carefully monitored by the Mavericks’ medical staff.
Luka Dončić (left calf strain) is doubtful for Game 2 against the Jazz.
Tim Hardaway Jr. (left foot surgery) and Frank Ntilikina (illness recovery) will remain out.
While Dončić has been criticized for his conditioning this season, the calf strain is an injury he picked up in the final regular season game of the season. It occurred against the San Antonio Spurs while Dončić was attempting an airborne pass and landed awkwardly.
Since it's a calf injury, comparisons have been drawn to Kevin Durant's injury from his final season with the Golden State Warriors.
Durant's initial diagnosis was a calf strain. He ended up returning too soon and tore his Achilles after just 13 minutes of action in the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
The Mavericks organization will have to carefully handle Luka Dončić's injury and not rush him back. The future of the franchise very much depends on the performances of the Slovenian.
The team will also be without the likes of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Frank Ntilikina as the duo are in all likelihood out for the rest of the season.