Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was listed as questionable on Friday's injury report, citing a sprained right knee and sore left ankle, ahead of Saturday afternoon's Game 3 against the Western Conference semifinalist Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, Doncic was upgraded to probable on Saturday morning due to his knee injury. The five-time All-Star guard has been playing with a sprained knee since suffering the injury in Game 3 of Dallas' first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
In the fourth quarter of Thursday night's 119-110 Game 2 victory in Oklahoma City, Doncic appeared to be bouncing around clutching his left ankle after locking feet with Thunder reserve guard Cason Wallace.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have no injuries to report, while the Dallas Mavericks list Luka Doncic (knee) as questionable. pic.twitter.com/cz9FlzRDJd
– Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) May 10, 2024
Doncic stayed in the game and drained a step-back 3-pointer on the Mavericks' next possession. He finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in the series-clinching victory.
“I think that was one of the hardest games I had to play,” Doncic said after the game. “I'm fighting over there, trying to do everything possible to help the team win.
“He just stepped on my foot but nothing happened. I know he didn't do it on purpose, so it doesn't matter. We thought it was insulting. Some people will get a bad call about that one. “
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (knee, ankle) is expected to play in Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Doncic, the NBA's regular season scoring champion, averaged 28.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game during the playoffs. The six-year veteran averaged a career-high 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 37.5 minutes in the regular season.
In some interesting betting trends, the Thunder are 10-1 in their last 11 games and 9-3 against the spread in their last 12 meetings with Dallas. Oklahoma City is also 2-5 ATS in its last seven contests.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games and 5-12 in their last 17 games played on a Saturday. The points total has been exceeded in four of Dallas' last five games.
Defend the home court.
🏀 Game 3
🆚 @okcthunder
⌚ 2:30PM CT
📺 @ABCNetwork
📻 97.1 FM and 99.1 FM pic.twitter.com/1r0EBdDnTR— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 11, 2024
The Thunder are 26-17 on the road, while the Mavericks are 27-17 overall at home. Of course, the number of points has been exceeded in Dallas' last five home games against OKC.
NBA sportsbooks show the Mavs as 2.5-point favorites before Game 3. According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index, Dallas has a 54.2% chance of beating the Thunder at the American Airlines Center.
The team that wins this series will advance to the Western Conference Finals and face either the Denver Nuggets or the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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