Luka Doncic is expected to miss Game 1 of the Dallas Mavericks first round playoff series against the Utah Jazz, according to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
There is no indication Doncic will also be out for Game 2 of the series Monday. Doncic is currently rehabbing a left calf strain that he suffered in the third quarter of the Mavericks regular season finale against the San Antonio.
The Mavericks haven’t given any concrete update on Doncic situation other than he had an MRI that confirmed a calf strain.
Missing Luka for at least the first and maybe the second game of the series give a great chance to the Jazz. If Donovan Mitchell and co. are fully healthy, they can take their home advantage and finish the series quickly.
In any case, the Mavericks will have to carry the burden in the offensive end by commission as a team.
Spencer Dinwiddie will replace Luka in the starting lineup, but, he admitted, it will take a team effort to cover what Doncic offer to the team.
“I’ll probably approach it similarly to when he wasn’t playing before. I know my usage will be up like I said, but it’s a team effort. I don’t expect to shoulder the load completely,” Dinwiddie said.
The first-round series between Dallas and Utah starts on Saturday evening.
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