DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks initially listed superstar Luka Doncic as questionable for Friday's game against the Golden State Warriors due to right knee soreness. In the hours leading up to the game, he was downgraded to doubtful.
The Mavs will play on the second night of a back-to-back when they take on the Warriors. Doncic overcame early foul trouble and a slow start to lead Dallas to a 109-95 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. He had 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
April 4, 2024. Dallas, Texas, USA.Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) sets up a play against the Dallas Mavericks
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Mavs are already sidelined and dealing with injuries to key bench players Josh Green (right ankle sprain) and Derek Lively II (right knee sprain). Maxi Kleber (back spasms) was added to the injury report as questionable for the game against Golden State.
Three key Golden State players are listed as questionable, including Andrew Wiggins (sore left ankle), Gary Payton II (sore left ankle) and Jonathan Kuminga (bilateral hamstring tendonitis). There is.
If Doncic is unavailable against the Warriors, Kyrie Irving would emerge as the Mavs' leading scoring option. Irving played in six of the Mavs' nine games without Doncic in 2023-24, averaging 31.5 points, 7.5 assists and 5.7 rebounds, posting a 3-3 record.
The Mavs enter Friday's game with a 46-30 record and are ranked fifth in the Western Conference standings. They are two games behind the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers, and one game ahead of the sixth-place Phoenix Suns and seventh-place New Orleans Pelicans.
The Mavs' upcoming schedule includes a Sunday afternoon matinee against the Houston Rockets. Given the importance of the district record in settling tiebreakers, handling matchups against fellow Southwest Division opponents is more important than defeating the Warriors.
