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April 21 update: Doncic is out for Thursday’s game, which means he is likely to return to the court in Game 4 Saturday. The Mavericks will try to win another game without the star point guard, who continues to recover from a calf strain.
April 20 update: The Mavericks have listed Doncic as questionable for Thursday’s game against the Jazz, signaling he is progressing well and could take the floor. The series is tied 1-1, so Doncic has some leeway in returning if he’s not feeling right. If Dallas was down 2-0, Doncic may have played even if he wasn’t feeling 100 percent.
April 18 update: Doncic has been formally ruled out for Game 2 against the Jazz Monday. He’ll attempt to be ready to go in Game 3, although the Mavericks could potentially be facing a 2-0 going to Utah.
April 17 update: More bad news for the Mavericks on the injury front, as Luka Doncic is unlikely to play in Game 2 against the Jazz Monday. Doncic hasn’t formally been ruled out but the Mavs are unlikely to risk him ahead of schedule for one game.
Luka Doncic is unlikely for Game 2 vs. Utah on Monday, sources tell @espn_macmahon and me. He hasn't yet been ruled out, but would have to make dramatic improvement in the next 24 hours to be cleared to play with that left calf strain. https://t.co/G32VoqCnMY
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 17, 2022
The No. 4 seed Dallas Mavericks will open up the 2022 NBA playoffs on Saturday against the No. 5 seed Utah Jazz. The Mavericks finished the season with 52-30 and proved to be one of the best defensive teams in the league. Dallas will not have All-Star point guard Luka Doncic for Game 1 due to a calf strain, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Mavericks injury report
Maxi Kleber (available) with ankle injury
Luka Doncic (OUT) with calf injury
The notable injury on this list is Doncic, who suffered a left calf strain towards the end of the regular season. There was some hope that he could play in Game 1, but that will not be the case as the Mavericks will be down their best offensive player.
Without Doncic, Dallas will need both Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson to carry the scoring and making sure other players are getting involved in the offense. This season, the Mavericks are 8-9 without Doncic.
Kleber has been dealing with ankle issues late in the season and the stretch forward would be another tough loss if he can’t play in Game 1. Davis Bertans would likely step into his role for Dallas.