NBA PLAYOFFS
Will Luka Doncic play in game 6 against the Clippers today? What injury does he have?
The Mavs and the Clippers clash once again in the sixth game in Dallas, with the home team knowing a win will see them progress.
The Dallas Mavericks have taken a huge step towards progression to the second round of the NBA Playoffs following the 123-93 Game 5 win over the LA Clippers on Tuesday in Los Angeles. That has set them up nicely at 3-2 ahead of tonight’s Game 6 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas potentially the setting for the series conclusion.
The Mavericks were the fifth-best side in the Western Conference standings with 50 wins, while the Clippers ended in fourth spot, with only one more victory. This was always expected to be a closely fought battle. Jason Kidd’s men have taken that fight to the LA team and Tuesday saw them hand the largest playoff defeat in Clippers history. And that is with Mavericks’ superstar Luka Doncic dealing with an injury and illness.
What injury does Luka Doncic have?
Doncic is the main reason for Dallas’ solid season, but he hasn’t been as sharp as many expected due to his injury. And there’s a bug around too. He was seen wearing a new wrap configuration on his right leg during Tuesday’s practice but the coach stated that the player was able to complete his participation successfully. It was confirmed that he had a sprained knee, one that would have normally sidelined him in the regular season but one he was going to play on with now. His congestion has meant he’s been having to clear his nose at timeouts.
The Slovenian had played 45 minutes in Game 4 and had a triple-double of 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He followed that up in Game 5 with 35 points – 20 coming in the second half – 7 rebounds and 10 assists.
Will Luka Doncic play in Game 6?
Everybody in Dallas hopes to see Luka play in Game 6, and the signs are positive given his performance on Tuesday. That said, it may be that his minutes are managed carefully, especially if the game is going in the right direction for the home fans, with bigger fish to fry coming up.
“I think it was a very big game,” Doncic said about the fifth. “We win, and now we’ve got to win one out of two. We’ve got to go back to Dallas and play the same way.”
The former Real Madrid player is averaging a career-high 33.9 points per game this season, adding 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds Both teams have met three times during the regular season, with the Clippers coming out on top in two games. Both sides have played on 91 occasions in their all-time head-to-head, with a 46-45 balance in favor of the Mavs.