Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is officially classified as questionable for Sunday’s fourth game after suffering the 130-122 loss to the LA Clippers on his left ankle in the fourth quarter.
Coach Rick Carlisle said he assumed the Mavs won’t know if Doncic is available until minutes before the tip.
“I think this will most likely be a time game situation, but I can’t tell you the exact timing,” said Carlisle on Saturday afternoon. “He’s not doing anything on the floor today. It’s treatment and we’re trying to get him an MRI.”
Doncic was due to have an MRI on Saturday morning, but Carlisle said there was an issue with the MRI machine on the NBA’s Walt Disney World campus in Lake Buena Vista, Florida that the team was trying to resolve.
Game 4 is on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Clippers, number 2 in the Western Conference, have a 2-1 lead in the first-round NBA playoff series over the Mavs with the seventh starting number.
“We have to measure a lot of things by how he feels, what the diagnostic test looks like, and how our coaches are feeling,” said Carlisle. “We’ll see. I wish I knew now, but I don’t know. Tonight is a big night in terms of how he feels in the morning.”
Doncic fell after rolling his ankle while defending Kawhi Leonard on a trip to the basket with 3:58 in the third quarter. He immediately grabbed his left ankle. After Doncic got to his feet, his right foot jumped off the floor and onto the tunnel.
After re-taping the ankle, Doncic returned early in the fourth quarter and was clearly limped before stepping out to the left at 9:02. The Mavs announced minutes later that Doncic would not be returning.
“It’s not that bad,” said Doncic, who missed eleven games this season because he sprained his right ankle twice. “Honestly, I was lucky that it’s my left ankle. It’s not my right one. It’s a little sprained. We’ll know more [Saturday]. “
Carlisle said Doncic will have a major impact on whether he will play alongside Casey Smith, Dallas’ director of player health and performance, who is primarily responsible for treating the 21-year-old all-star.
“He plays injured pretty regularly, but we don’t want him to play injured,” said Carlisle. “That’s a different situation. You bring a greater risk. But we’ll see. We’ll see where things are tomorrow. The fast turnaround is more of a challenge, but we’ll see. In a way, it’s what we do.” can help improve the situation, and in some ways you are dealing with Mother Nature. “
Doncic averaged 35.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists, while the Mavs and Clippers split the series’ first two games. He had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 3, making him the third-youngest player in NBA history to record a playoff triple-double, behind only Magic Johnson and LeBron James.
Carlisle said Doncic didn’t make the sprain worse by playing for a few minutes to start the fourth quarter. After evaluating Doncic and tying his ankle back, Smith informed Carlisle that Doncic wanted to return to the game, but it was quickly apparent that Doncic’s mobility was severely affected.
Doncic gestured to the Dallas bench that he had to end the game. He knocked over his chair in frustration before returning to the locker room with Smith.
“I just wanted to get in,” said Doncic, who was off the field when they lost 4 of 14. “We still had a chance to win and help my team-mates. Of course I could run a little, but I couldn’t push my left leg off, so it was better to go out and let someone play.”
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