Luka Doncic Injury Update is a Major Blow to Mavericks Playoff Chances
By Reed Wallach
Injury concerns hang over the beginning of the NBA Playoffs with the biggest one coming during the final game of the regular season.
Dallas Mavericks' star Luka Doncic limped off the court after suffering what is now being called a left calf strain by the team. Doncic has been stellar for Dallas, leading the team to the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference, but it's a concern that he is going to be hobbled heading into the playoffs with a first round matchup set against the Utah Jazz.
There’s initial optimism that Dallas star Luka Doncic hasn’t suffered a significant injury, source tells ESPN. Team is calling it a strained left calf.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2022
Here is the play where Doncic suffered the calf strain:
Luka Dončić exited the game after suffering a left calf strain. pic.twitter.com/aJ1uJPf68N
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 11, 2022
Dallas is set to host Game 1 against the Jazz on Saturday afternoon at 1 PM EST. While there is no official word on when Doncic will be set to play, here is some background around the injury (keep in mind every situation is different) and how it relates to Dallas.
Currently, the Mavericks are +1100 to win the Western Conference and +2500 to win the title at WynnBET Sportsbook.
Re: Luka: There’s a lot of variability in calf strains. The calf is actually a muscle complex made up of multiple muscles. Severity & location will factor into resulting recovery. Average time lost for calf strains in the NBA this season was 16 days (median 17, minimum = 3 days)
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) April 11, 2022
It's encouraging that early indications suggest Doncic has not suffered anything serious, but this calf injury can linger and keep him out for a majority of the first round. He also could aggravate it and need to be shut down.
The fourth year superstar averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists in his fourth year with the Mavs.
Stay tuned for updates on this story
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