NBA PLAYOFFS
Will the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic play in Game 2 against the Thunder today?
Doncic has been struggling with a knee injury since midway through the NBA Playoffs first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is listed as probable for Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder today, as the Slovenian deals with an injury picked up during his team’s first-round NBA Playoffs series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Doncic, who on Wednesday finished third in the voting for the NBA’s MVP Award, suffered a right knee sprain in Game 3 against the Clippers two weeks ago, but has managed to appear in every postseason clash since then.
Doncic struggles in Game 1 loss to Thunder
However, he was below-par in Tuesday’s 117-95 defeat to the Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals. His total of 19 points at Paycom Center was well below his average of 29.8 in his previous six playoffs appearances.
“I gotta be better, we’ve gotta be better,” Doncic said after losing in Oklahoma City. “We’ve gotta focus. We’re known for Game 1 struggling. They’re a great team, a great defensive team, a great offensive team so it’s not going to be easy at all.”
Doncic able to practice ahead of Game 2
Doncic has said his knee “hurts”, according to the Dallas Morning News reporter Brad Townsend, but Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has told Townsend that the 25-year-old was able to practice as normal on Wednesday.
Who else is on the Mavericks’ injury report?
Maxi Kleber and Olivier Maxence-Prosper both remain unavailable to Kidd, who on Monday signed a multi-year extension to his contract as Mavericks boss.
Dallas confirmed on Sunday that Kleber suffered a “right shoulder AC joint separation” in last Friday’s first-round win over the Clippers, adding that the German would be re-evaluated after three weeks. Maxence-Prosper, meanwhile, continues to recover from an ankle injury that has sidelined him since late April.
Mavericks vs Thunder: Game 2 start time, how to watch
In Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals, the Dallas Mavericks face the Oklahoma Thunder today, Thursday 9 May 2024, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT.
Viewers in the United States will be able to watch the game on ESPN, and can stream the action on the online platform fuboTV, which offers new users a free trial.
Enjoy the Mavericks vs the Thunder live on fuboTV.
What is the Mavs’ NBA Playoffs record?
The No. 5 seed in the West, the Mavericks are chasing a sixth conference-finals appearance in franchise history. Dallas have just the one won NBA championship to their name, having lifted their only Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2011.