The Dallas Mavericks have had a great road trip so far. After defeating the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers, Jason Kidd’s boys clinched a huge win against the Brooklyn Nets. As they move across the city to face the New York Knicks, fans will hope that the Mavericks can clinch their first 3-game win streak since 8th January. To achieve the same, Luka Doncic will need to suit up.
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Luka Doncic was previously dealing with right ankle soreness for the past month. Even though he did take a horrific hit from Giannis Antetokounmpo on 3rd February, he soon recovered from the injury. However, Doncic has been added to the latest injury report, listed as “probable” despite a broken nose.
During the 5th February Mavericks-76ers contest, Luka hurt his nose when he bumped into Kyrie Irving. Initially, Doncic was diagnosed with a nose contusion. Later, the medical staff announced that the 6ft 7” guard had broken his nose.
The Slovenian superstar was originally listed as “questionable” ahead of the Mavericks previous clash against the Brooklyn Nets. However, the 24-year-old put on a mask and led his side to a huge 119-107 victory.
From a purely medical standpoint, it may be ill-advised to decide against taking time off to recover. That said, with the Dallas Mavericks looking to make a title charge this season, and still only being the 8th seed at the moment, he is sorely needed on the floor. While incredible production is guaranteed from Luka, the hope is that he doesn’t re-injure his nose in the middle of a contest.
Luka Doncic has already missed 8 games this season
Ever since the 2023-2024 season commenced, Luka Doncic has had to deal with numerous injuries – a left quad injury, back injury, ankle soreness, and a broken nose. Due to all the injuries, Luka has already missed eight out of 51 games.
In these eight games, the Texas side has failed to hold their ground, going 3-5 in his absence. However, the Luka Doncic-less squad did manage to defeat the New York Knicks almost a month ago. Backed by Kyrie Irving’s incredible 44-point, 10-assist double-double, Jason Kidd’s team won 128-124.
Even if Doncic does not play, the Mavericks will enter the contests as the favorite because the New York Knicks would be shorthanded. Apart from Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, and Quentin Grimes being out, Jalen Brunson and Jericho Sims are listed as “questionable”.
