Doncic Available For Mavericks In Game 4
Apr 23, 2022, 1:26 PM | Updated: 1:29 pm
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic warmups prior to a matchup with the Utah Jazz (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Luka Doncic will be available for the Dallas Mavericks when they face the Utah Jazz in Game 4 of their opening-round playoff series.
Doncic has missed the first three games of the series with a calf strain suffered on April 10 but will be back in action in a crucial Game 4 matchup.
After dropping Game 1 at home, the Mavericks bounced back with impressive wins over the Jazz without Doncic or forward Tim Hardaway Jr. behind the brilliance of Jalen Brunson to take a 2-1 series lead.
Jason Kidd confirms Luka Doncic will play today for the @dallasmavs. #TakeNote | @kslsports
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) April 23, 2022
Brunson is averaging 36 points per game over the last two outings while shooting 57 percent from the floor, 43 percent from the three-point line, while handing out 10 assists, and committing just one turnover.
The Mavericks are shooting 45 percent from the three-point line in their last two games on an impressive 44.5 attempts per game.
Doncic was the NBA’s third-leading scorer at 28.4 points per game during the regular season and the fifth-leading assist man at 8.7 assists per game.
The superstar guard led the Mavericks in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, and usage during the regular season.
Kidd didn’t elaborate on how many minutes Doncic would play but indicated the team would monitor how the guard looked in his early minutes before assessing his availability for the remainder of the game.
HE’S BACK. #dALLasIN pic.twitter.com/lilj1UeFgS
— x – Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 23, 2022
Prior to the game, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski indicated that Donic would be on a minutes restriction in Game 4.
“The plan is that his minutes will be limited in his first game back since suffering a calf strain on April 10,” Wojnarowski tweeted.
The Mavericks could use the added depth on the perimeter as both Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock are averaging more than 44 minutes per game in the playoffs, leading the entire league.
The Jazz and Mavericks will tip-off at 2:30 pm MT on Saturday and can be heard on KSL NewsRadio and The Zone Sports Network. The game will be televised on TNT and FuboTV.
