Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is expected to 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 nursing a chest contusion (listed as a chest contusion), a sprained right knee and soreness in his left ankle.
Doncic has never been fully healthy during this season's playoffs, which has affected his shooting percentages early on, but he remains the best player on the court. In 18 playoff games this year, he is averaging 28.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists, ranking seventh among all players in points, 10th in rebounds and third in assists.
He was also available for every game in the few games he was previously listed as questionable. That likely won't be different this time around, but being forced to downgrade your best player just hours before a game is never a good sign, especially when you're already down 1-0 in the series. The Mavericks were blown out in Game 1 on Thursday, trailing by as many as 29 points in the first half before losing by 18.
Knee and ankle problems have been longtime issues for Doncic, but the chest contusion is a new one. A photo posted to social media by Tomer Atherley during the Mavericks' practice on Saturday showed Doncic grimacing and grabbing his chest, but it's unclear when the injury started.
Doncic played 38 minutes in Game 1, scoring 30 points and recording 10 rebounds, but he shot just 12 of 26 from the field and had just one assist, his fewest totals in a game in which he played at least 35 minutes. Doncic scored points, but the Celtics made him work hard and Didn't get his teammates involved.
If the Mavericks want to get back into this series, they need Doncic to be at his best as both a scorer and a playmaker, and a new illness would certainly make things worse.
Game 2 is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET and is a must-win game for the Mavericks. In NBA playoff history, a team that is down 2-0 in a seven-game series has lost 92.6% of the time, and there have only been five such comebacks in the Finals.
