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Mavericks alert: Luka Doncic close to be out for Game 2 vs. Utah Jazz

Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks' most important player, could be out of Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs against the Utah Jazz, scheduled for Monday, because he has yet to recover from a left calf strain. The news would be terrible for the Mavericks because this Saturday they lost their home-court advantage when they lost 99-93 and without their star they could be 0-2 in the series, forced to win on the road.

Still not much improvement from injury

Several sources indicate that Doncic has not made enough progress in his recovery and, although the team has not ruled out his participation in the game, he would have to evolve drastically in the course of these 24 hours to be able to appear on the court, albeit in a limited way.

This Sunday, Doncic did a light workout for the second consecutive day indicating progress on the injury. The Slovenian has been working out on a stationary bike and jogging on the treadmill in recent days, but team coach Jason Kidd said his status for Game 2 has yet to be determined.

If Doncic doesn't play, the Jazz will be a 5.5-point betting favorite

"Yesterday was another good day, and he's back on the court today, so that's a plus. We'll see how he feels tomorrow," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.

"Luka's injury came at the wrong time, but we can't cry over spilled milk. We're all professionals and we understand what the situation is. If he can go, that doesn't automatically mean we're going to win games, but we feel better if he's on the court. Hopefully he can be on the court soon," he added.

Doncic was injured in the final game of the regular season with the Mavericks on Sunday, April 10 and since then, he has not participated in a practice with the Texas team.

During the time the press was allowed to be present at Sunday's practice, Doncic worked in the weight room before doing a light shooting session on the court.

Doncic's specific weight for the Mavs

Dallas is 8-10 without Doncic this season, including the Game 1 loss to the Jazz.

Doncic appeared in 65 regular-season games, averaging 35.4 minutes of playing time per game. He averaged 9.9 baskets and 21.6 attempts per game, tops for his team in both cases. He leads the Mavs in points per game with 28.4, rebounds (9.1 per game), of which 8.3 are defensive rebounds. He is also the leader in assists with 8.7 per duel and even in steals (1.2 per game).

After Doncic, Latvian Kristaps Porzingis, was the second best scorer of the Mavericks with 19.2 and in rebounds (7.7), but he could only participate in 34 regular season games, so the offensive weight of the team fell on the Slovenian shooting guard.

In addition, the Mavs are obliged to win Game 2 this Monday, otherwise they would have to travel to Utah with a 0-2 disadvantage, forced to win at least one game on the road and with little room for maneuver to recover in the series.

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