By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Dallas Mavericks will not rush Luka Doncic back to action, head coach Jason Kidd confirmed commenting on the Slovenian superstar returning to the injury list.
“He had a flare-up with the left ankle injury,” explained Kidd before the away game versus the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, “He continues to get treatment and we’ll see how he feels for Wednesday’s game.”
Doncic, 22, will be sidelined for the second half of the back-to-back leading into the home fixture opposite the Charlotte Hornets Monday evening. He is considered questionable to play against the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday, as noted by Kidd.
The Ljubljana-born player tweaked the ankle again against the Indiana Pacers on Friday. He has been playing through pain for nearly a month, including four more missed games, all dropped by the Mavericks. After the 0-4 run in the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season without Doncic in the lineup, the win at Oklahoma snapped the losing streak.
“This is a great challenge for us,” added Kidd preparing to dig deeper in the squad to cover as his star player recovers, “This isn’t our first time without Luka. So hopefully we’re comfortable and we can find a way.”
The Mavericks jumping to an even 13-13 are tied with the Denver Nuggets in seventh place of the Western Conference standings, one game behind the spots leading directly to the 2022 Playoffs.
Fellow Europeans, Maxi Kleber, Boban Marjanovic, Frank Ntilikina, and Kristaps Porzingis remain available heading to the bottom end of the back-to-back.
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