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The Dallas Mavericks will head into the NBA playoffs this week and because of their success near the top of the Western Conference, they’ll enjoy homecourt advantage in the first round. Like all of the other teams in the postseason field, injuries are a major factor to take into the consideration for this group.
Update, April 15 — Doncic has been formally ruled out for Game 1 with a calf strain.
Dallas Mavericks All-Star Luka Doncic (calf strain) will be out for Game 1 vs. Utah on Saturday and significant concern remains for his availability Monday in Game 2, sources tell ESPN. Mavs will play long game w/ injury and take it day-by-day after playing without him Saturday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 15, 2022
Update, April 12 — Luka Doncic is undergoing treatment for a calf strain and has no timetable for a return, the Mavericks announced on Tuesday. The Mavs face the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs with Game 1 set for Saturday afternoon. It’s unclear at this point if Doncic will be able to play in Game 1. With no timetable, that doesn’t bode well for his status in the series. We could see Dallas take it day-by-day with Doncic and he’ll likely pop up on an injury report a few days before the series is set to begin. Right now, the Jazz are favored to win the series at -165.
The Mavericks are experiencing a crisis at the worst possible time as star guard Luka Doncic suffered a calf injury during Sunday’s season finale against the Spurs on Sunday. He sustained the injury while the team was up 18 and immediately exited the game. As of this writing, the organization is optimistic that the injury isn’t major but a less than 100% Doncic will be a major blow to their title hopes.
Another glaring omission from the lineup as guard Tim Hardaway Jr. sits out with a foot injury. Hardaway suffered the injury on January 25 and had surgery immediately afterwards. He’s been rehabbing the foot since and the hope is that if the Mavs are able to make it past the first round, he’ll be able to make a triumphant return to the court.
The only other notable injury is Maxi Kleber missing a handful of games at the end of the regular season due to an ankle injury. The forward should be fine for the playoffs.