The Dallas Mavericks will travel to the Ball Arena in Denver to face the Nuggets in a clash of the heavyweights from the Western Conference. There is palpable excitement about the subplot in the game too — Dallas’ superstar guard Luka Doncic against the reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic. However, doubts linger whether that duel may take place at all.
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Ominously for the Mavericks, who have been struggling to seal matches this season, Doncic’s name popped up on the NBA’s latest injury report. He is questionable for the game with a groin strain.
Is it a training niggle, or did the Slovenian sensation pick up the injury in their previous outing? If that’s the case, it would indeed be rubbing salt on Dallas’ wounds. They should have won that game against the Phoenix Suns on November 8, had it not been for a poor call by the referee.
Dallas have had a poor start to the 2024-25 campaign. A 5-4 record is clearly underwhelming going by their roster and its potential. They could’ve easily been 6-3, though, if not for the loss against the Suns, brought about in the final play of the game.
The referees missed a blatant foul on Daniel Gafford with just 0.8 seconds left on the clock. That would have sent him to the free-throw line for attempting game-winning shots. Instead, the refs called the foul on the Mavericks, handing the game on a platter to the Suns.
Doncic was understandably irate and protested the call.
Jusuf Nurkic was awarded free throws on this final play of Suns-Mavs.
Phoenix survives and improves to 8-1 pic.twitter.com/Nwp4qcKwje
— ESPN (@espn) November 9, 2024
Well, that game is history now. And tonight, Doncic would have been keen to help his team bounce back. If the five-time All-Star doesn’t make it on court it would be a massive blow to Dallas’ chances to beat the Nuggets, their biggest challenge in the West. That too in Denver.
Doncic’s season has been a mixed bag. He has averaged 28.8 points, 8 assists, and 8.1 rebounds so far. Decent, one would imagine. However, his shooting has been off the mark — an underwhelming 40.7% from the field and 34.1% from beyond the arc.
Nonetheless, he is a key player on both ends of the court for the Mavericks. And, though the team has not made any official statement, it is likely that he would sit out the Nuggets game.
That would be the right course to take for Dallas too. The Mavericks should not risk the guard’s injury worsening. That could lead to him being sidelined for an extended period, jeopardizing not just a game or two, but their campaign this year as well.
