Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will play in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics on Sunday night despite being downgraded to questionable on the afternoon injury report. Doncic is dealing with a chest contusion (listed as thoracic contusion), a right knee sprain and left ankle soreness.
Doncic has not been fully healthy at any point during this playoff run, and while that affected his shooting percentages early on in the postseason, it hasn’t stopped him from often being the best player on the floor. Through 18 playoff games this year, he’s averaging 28.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists, and is seventh in scoring, 10th in rebounding and third in assists among all players.
He has also been available for every game, even on the few occasions where he’s previously been listed as questionable. That won’t change this time, but it’s never a good sign when your best player needs to be downgraded hours before the game — especially when you’re already down 1-0 in the series. The Mavericks were blown out in Thursday’s Game 1, trailing by as many as 29 points in the first half before losing by 18.
The knee and ankle issues have been a long-running problem for Doncic, but the thoracic contusion is a new one. A social media post from Tomer Azarly at Mavericks practice on Saturday showed Doncic wincing and grabbing at his chest, but it’s unclear when the injury originated.
Doncic played 38 minutes in Game 1 and finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, but shot 12-of-26 from the field and recorded just one assist — his fewest ever in a game in which he’s played at least 35 minutes. Though Doncic got his points, the Celtics made him work hard and didn’t let him get his teammates involved.
If the Mavericks want to get back into this series, they’ll need Doncic at his best, as both a scorer and playmaker. A new ailment certainly doesn’t help matters.
Game 2 is set to tip-off at 8 p.m. ET, and is a borderline must-win contest for the Mavericks. In NBA playoff history, teams that have gone down 2-0 in seven-game series have lost 92.6% of the time, and there have only been five such comebacks in the Finals.
