Luka Doncic injury status ahead of Dallas Mavericks Game 4 vs. Clippers

This might be the most well-balanced team of the Luka Doncic era in Dallas. Kyrie Irving has had a quiet season off the court and a brilliant one on it. The trade deadline acquisitions of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, combined with rookie Dereck Lively II, have formed a trio of rim deterrents and rebounders, a defensive advantage Luka hasn’t had during his five-plus seasons with the Mavericks.

That defense was the catalyst for Dallas’s 101-90 win in Game 3 of their Western Conference opening-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. After Doncic collided with LA big man Ivica Zubac in Game 2 and briefly left the floor, he wasn’t his usual dominant offensive self, opting to be more of a playmaker than a scorer.

Then he banged knees with Russell Westbrook later in Game 3, marking his second injury to the same knee in two games.

He was “held” to 22 points on 7-of-25 shooting but handed out 9 assists for a balanced Mavs’ offense that saw five players score in double-digits. After dealing with two injuries to the same knee but still playing 40 minutes in Game 3, will Doncic be ready to go less than 48 hours later?

Luka Doncic listed as questionable on Mavericks injury report

Luka found a way to play through the pain in Game 3, but admitted after that his knee didn’t feel great even before the Westbrook collision. With Dallas up 2-1 against the Clippers heading into this afternoon’s contest, the Mavericks’ decision could go one of two ways: ride Doncic again and try to take a significant 3-1 series advantage or give their star’s knee a rest and hope Irving and the rest of the offense can carry the load.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is listed as doubtful for Dallas. But LA is dealing with injury issues of its own.

Will Kawhi Leonard play for Clippers in Game 4?

The oft-injured Leonard hasn’t been fully healthy at any point in this series and only played 25 minutes in Game 3.

Kawhi Leonard at the end of this clip says the reason he only played 25 minutes is his knee didn’t respond the way he hoped after Game 1. “We’re going to get it right,” he said, not sounding terribly confident. pic.twitter.com/F8pzq8ywvd

— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) April 27, 2024

Kawhi didn’t play in Game 1 and scored a combined 24 points in Games 2 and 3. He’s listed as questionable on the Clippers’ injury report, though LA Head Coach Ty Lue said he expects Leonard to be on the floor.

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