Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will play in Sunday afternoon’s Game 4 against the LA Clippers despite spreading his left ankle in Friday night’s Game 3 loss.
Doncic warned about an hour and a half before Game 4 before his status was determined.
A source told ESPN that an MRI on Saturday revealed “nothing alarming”, confirming its status as a decision on game-time. Another source said Doncic was experiencing “minimal” swelling.
Doncic fell after rolling his ankle while defending Kawhi Leonard on a drive to the court with 3:58 left in the third quarter. He immediately grabbed his left ankle. After being helped to his feet, Doncic jumped on his right foot from the floor and up the tunnel.
After regaining the ankle, Doncic returned at the start of the fourth quarter and was clearly bumped before leaving with 9:02 left. The Mavs announced minutes later that Doncic would not be returning.
“It’s not that bad,” said Doncic, who missed 11 games this season after twice smearing his right ankle, said after Game 3. “Honestly, I was lucky it’s my left ankle. It is not my right. It’s a bit scattered. “
Doncic averaged 35.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists, while the Mavs and Clippers split the first two games of the series. He had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 3, becoming the third-youngest player in NBA history to record a playoff triple-double, just behind Magic Johnson and LeBron James. Carlisle said Doncic did not dispel the pollution by playing a few minutes to start the fourth quarter. After reviewing Doncic and reconnecting with his ankle, Casey Smith, Dallas’ director of health and performance, Carlisle informed that Doncic wanted to return to the game, but it soon became clear that Doncic’s mobility had been significantly compromised.
Doncic sent to the Dallas bench that he needed to leave the game. He knocked on his chair in frustration before returning with Smith to the locker room.
“I just wanted to get in,” said Doncic, who was 4-of-14 from the field in the loss. “We still had a chance to win and help my teammates. Of course I could still walk a little bit, but I couldn’t express my left leg, so it was better to go out and let someone else play.”
Clippers guard Patrick Beverley is out for Game 4 with a left calf strain.
.
