The Dallas Mavericks are looking to clinch a Western Conference Finals victory on Thursday night. Injures will be something to monitor for the Mavs as they prepare to battle the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road. Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively II are among the Mavericks listed on the Game 5 injury report.
Lively is dealing with a neck sprain. Doncic has been battling a knee sprain and ankle soreness throughout the series. Meanwhile, Olivier-Maxence Prosper has been ruled out for Thursday's game with a left-ankle sprain.
Luka has played through injury concerns all postseason long. He has yet to miss a game. Doncic has continued to perform at a high level in the Western Conference Finals as well. He's played a pivotal role in Dallas' current 3-1 series lead over Minnesota.
Doncic accepted the blame for the Mavs' Game 4 loss. He felt that he could have played better in the 105-100 defeat. In all reality, Luka played well enough to help the team have an opportunity to win. Dallas fell just short in the end, though.
Still, Doncic and Kyrie Irving are both closers. The closer narrative has been often discussed during the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Most teams have just one player who they turn to down the stretch of games, but the Mavericks have two stars who can close games out.
So is Luka Doncic playing tonight in Game 5 vs. the Timberwolves?
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Luka Doncic's injury status for Game 5 vs. Timberwolves
Both Doncic and Lively have now officially been named available for Game 5.
The expectation from the outside for each game Luka has been on the injury report is that Doncic will ultimately be available. The Mavericks have monitored his status each of those days, and Luka has ended up feeling good enough to play.
Dallas entered Thursday feeling hopeful that the Mavs star would be ready for Thursday night as well. Game 5 is important as the Mavericks want to close the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Sure, the chances of the Timberwolves erasing a 3-0 deficit are slim. But they earned a Game 4 victory and another win in Game 5 would shift the momentum of the series. Game 6 would become a must-win affair for Dallas as the Mavs would want to avoid traveling back to Minnesota for Game 7.
So there is no question that taking care of business in Game 5 is of the utmost importance. And having both closers on the floor will be crucial to say the least.
Doncic kept things straightforward after the Mavs' Game 4 loss.
“We gotta win four games…. We gotta win one more game, that's it,” Luka told reporters after the defeat.
In the end, the Mavericks are still in a quality position. They will head into Thursday's contest with plenty of confidence. Of course, featuring a healthy roster would increase their chances of winning the Western Conference Finals on Thursday.
As for the question of if Luka Doncic is playing tonight in Game 5 vs. the Timberwolves, Dallas' star will be on the court looking to close out the Western Conference Finals on Thursday.
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