Luka Doncic remains out and Kyrie Irving is available to play Saturday, according to the Mavericks latest injury report.
Doncic missed Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers due to a left heel injury, and will also miss Saturday’s game as well. Doncic hasn’t practiced since suffering the injury against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
Irving missed Friday’s game with shoulder soreness, and is off the injury report entirely. He’ll be back Saturday barring anything unexpected. The only other players on the report other than Doncic are the usual — Dante Exum, Jaden Hardy, and Brandon Williams all listed as out.
This will be Doncic’s eighth missed game of the season, after suffering a wrist injury that kept him out for a week back in November. Doncic has basically been hurt all season — he started training camp with a calf injury that forced him out for the entire preseason, then picked up a knee and groin injury a month or so into the season.
After that he had the wrist injury, and the Mavericks shut him down for a week to get his body right. Doncic has looked spectacular since his return, punctuated by a 45-point triple-double on Sunday against the Warriors. Unfortunately it appears Doncic has picked up another lower body injury, his fourth since training camp (calf, knee, groin, and now heel).
Doncic is now potentially in danger of not qualifying for post-season awards. If he returns after Saturday, the maximum number of games Doncic can play this season will be 74. Players have to play at least 65 to qualify for post-season awards, like MVP and All-NBA. Doncic has made five straight first-team All-NBA teams dating back to his second year in the league, and with the Mavericks playing well, Doncic potentially has another shot at the MVP award too. Obviously the team will rightly prioritize Doncic’s health than making sure he can win awards, but it is unfortunate luck if Doncic does end up missing the 65-game cutoff.
After an extended layoff due to the NBA cup, the Mavericks schedule picks up the pace. Next week Dallas plays four games, so hopefully Doncic’s absence isn’t extended past the weekend.
