Published 19:34 IST, February 24th 2020
Is Luka Doncic playing tonight against Timberwolves? When is Mavs star coming back?
Is Luka Doncic playing tonight against Minnesota Timberwolves? Analysing Doncic's injury status after the Slovenian missed Mavericks vs Hawks.
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Luka Doncic's injury has really dented Dallas Mavericks' attacking prowess in recent weeks. The 20-year-old missed Mavericks' underwhelming loss to Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night (Sunday IST) with soreness. With Luka Doncic's injury status up in the air, fans want to know 'Is Luka Donic playing tonight vs Minnesota Timberwolves?' Let's analyse and answer if 'a Luka Doncic return' is on the cards against Minnesota.
Is Luka Doncic playing tonight? Luka Doncic injury update
Luka Doncic has missed a fair share of games this season after injuring his right ankle in January. The game against Hawks marks the 12th game played by Luka Doncic this season. Doncic started on Friday night (Saturday IST) against Orlando Magic and looked rather impressive as he dropped 33 points in just 30 minutes of play. While it was not reported that Doncic accidentally aggravated his injury, he missed out the next game due to the same niggling issue. Fans have been sweating over his recent injury concerns but Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle stated that he does not believe the Luka Doncic injury to be serious and he will not miss multiple games.
Carlisle says he doesn’t think Doncic will be out multi-games:,”I don’t expect it to be, but I don’t know know for sure. I understand the interest. Everyone wants to know about his latest hangnail. Look, he’s a great young player.” Doncic will work out before tonight’s game.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 22, 2020
Also Read | Is Luka Doncic Playing Tonight? Luka Doncic Return After Missing 7 Games With Ankle Sprain
when is Luka Doncic coming back? Mark Cuban suggests lengthy rest
Mark Cuban says the reality of Luka Doncic's ankle situation is that, without a lengthy rost, he will continue to feel soreness.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 23, 2020
"That’s just the nature of the injury. There’s being injured and there’s being hurt. He’s not injured, but it’s going to hurt."
Despite his injury being downplayed by Carlisle, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggested that Luka Doncic needs some healthy rest to fully recover from his ankle issues. This begs further questions if Carlisle would risk starting Doncic against Timberwolves.
Also Read | Is Luka Doncic Playing Tonight? Doncic To Miss Rockets Clash After Spraining Right Ankle During Practice
Is Luka Doncic playing tonight? When is Luka Doncic coming back
Per the 4:30 NBA injury report, Jalen Brunson (sprained right shoulder) is out vs. Minnesota tomorrow night, while Luka Doncic (sore ankle) is probable and Willie-Cauley Stein (personal reasons) is questionable. Porzingis, as expected, not on the report.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 23, 2020
Dallas Mavericks have a 34-23 (win-loss) record in the Western Conference. With an upturn of form for Pelicans, the race for a playoff berth is heating up in the Western Conference. Mavericks can't afford to lose another game, starting from Monday night (Tuesday IST) against Timberwolves. Doncic is averaging 29.0 points and 9.6 rebounds this season. It's highly likely that he'd make it to the starting five unless the Slovenian aggravates his injury during training.
19:34 IST, February 24th 2020