Owing to an impressive 35-8 record at home, the Oklahoma City Thunder were projected to clinch Game 1 at home. However, nobody could’ve quite expected Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and co. to blow the Dallas Mavericks 117-95. In the Jason Kidd era, the Mavericks have historically bounced back in Game 2s after suffering a loss. However, the inclusion of Luka Doncic in the injury report has fans worried.
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The Dallas Mavericks are already missing out on two players – Maxi Kleber and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Further, the medical staff also added Luka Doncic to the dreadful list as a “probable” due to his lingering right knee injury.
Luka Doncic has been suffering a right knee sprain throughout the opening-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite being a constant addition to the injury report, Luka decided not to be sidelined.
While the Mavericks did end up winning the series, there was a massive dip in his production – averaging fewer points, rebounds, assists, and a worse field goal percentage in more minutes than the regular season.
The Slovenian superstar seemed to be in a great amount of pain during Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinal. Constantly limping around, the 6ft 7” guard only managed to record a subpar outing – 19 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 turnovers on 31.6% FG and 12.5% 3FG, per NBA.com.
Following the contest, the five-time All-Star was even asked to comment on his injury. But he decided not to allow the knee pain to be an excuse for his awful display.
“Who cares (about the injury), we lost. We just gotta move on to the next one. I gotta be better, we gotta be better,” Doncic said in the postgame conference.
Luka after shooting 6/19 from the field:
"Who cares, we lost. We just gotta move on to the next one. I gotta be better, we gotta be better."pic.twitter.com/QFWUeWv7KL
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 8, 2024
To prevent falling 0-2 in the series against the best team in the West, Doncic will need to suit up tonight. If he does end up donning the jersey, fans of the Texas side will be pleased to learn that Luka could go on to put up a significantly better stat line. For, in the five games that he recorded 32% FG or less this campaign, he went on to redeem himself in the subsequent games – recording 34.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 8.6 assists on 50.3% FG, per ESPN.
![Josh Green may have played significant minutes during Game 6, but it was his postgame interview that caught all the attention. While being interviewed by ESPN Australia, Green had a hilarious conversation about Luka Doncic that hilariously disclosed the latter’s fear of spiders and snakes. The Australian even revealed he insisted that Doncic visit his home country, but the latter immediately declined. During the interview, Josh announced that the 6ft 7” guard would be visiting Australia in the upcoming offseason. With Doncic noticeably surprised, an amusing back-and-forth immediately ensued. Luka: “ESPN Australia!” Green: “Luka is coming to Australia this offseason...” Luka: “No there's too many spiders... I’m afraid of snakes and spiders” The five-time All-Star also claimed that Aussies didn’t “like” him. Luka: “They don’t like me.” Green: “They love you. I told him that everyone loves him in Australia but he doesn’t listen to me.” [per Kane Pitman] Josh Green and Luka Doncic just now. Luka: "ESPN Australia!" Green: "Luka is coming to Australia this offseason..." Luka: "No there's too many spiders..." Green: "I've seen none of Slovenia..probably a reason for that..." Luka: "We have no spiders..." It continued.... pic.twitter.com/YokuFVhakq — Kane Pitman (@KanePitman) May 19, 2024 There could be one potential reason for the crowd in Australia not “liking” him. During the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Luka rallied the Slovenian team to defeat Patty Mills and co. 91-80 in the second round of the tournament. Having already lost to Germany in the first round, the 11-point loss resulted in Australia’s elimination from the campaign. So, while Doncic may have only been doing his job, Australia does indeed have a reason to dislike the Slovenian superstar. That said, perhaps he shouldn't count out his chances of a peaceful visit to the country just yet. Luka Doncic could visit Australia due to his friendship with Kyrie Irving Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports Kyrie Irving has been successful while playing FIBA tournaments, having won the 2010 FIBA Americans U18 Championship, the 2014 FIBA World Cup, and the 2016 Olympics. However, despite achieving all of these while representing Team USA, Irving is actually an Australian citizen. The Mavericks star moved to the USA at a young age after being born in Melbourne, Australia. On numerous occasions in his career, he has contemplated representing his birth nation. However, he claims that Coach K influenced his decision and eventually convinced him to play for Team USA instead. “I consider myself an international player even though I played on Team USA,” Irving told Fox Sports. “Team USA asked me to play for them when I was 17 or 18 ... I wanted to play for Australia, but it just didn't happen. Coach K wasn't going to let that happen either.” “I mean, he's Coach K. As a young fella, he definitely did tell me I had a chance to be a part of something bigger than myself and ultimately being the starting point guard on the US Olympic team.” Kyrie and his former coach (at Duke University) found success, winning gold medals in the FIBA World Cup and Olympics. Luka Doncic has often expressed his love for Kyrie, and vice-versa. Apart from lauding each other for the players that they are, they seem to be more proud of each other’s humble personalities. Considering that the two are so close on and off the court, there could be a possibility that Doncic can travel to Australia without receiving threats from the public for his hand in knocking them out of the World Cup. However, given his many fears, it's unlikely the Slovenian superstar ever considers taking the option.](https://cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com/2024/05/dc36b81e-untitled-design-2024-05-19t145959.456.jpg?format=auto&w=384&q=75)
