Kyrie Irving, Tim Hardaway Jr., Christian Wood, and Maxi Kleber have all already been ruled out by the Dallas Mavericks for Friday's must-win game against the Chicago Bulls. The good news for Mavs fans is that Luka Doncic has been cleared to play. The bad news is that this isn't exactly what the supporters were expecting.
Yes, Luka will play. However, the Mavs have now announced that he will be sitting out the rest of the game after the first quarter. This report comes via ESPN's NBA insider Tim MacMahon:
“Sources: Luka Doncic will sit out after the first quarter tonight vs. the Bulls. Five key Mavs, including Kyrie Irving, were ruled out this morning,” MacMahon wrote in his tweet.
That is certainly one of the most baffling decisions I have personally ever come across in the many years I have been covering the NBA. I mean, why even play him at all?
As it turns out, there is a method behind this madness. The Mavs are celebrating Slovenia Night on Friday, and obviously, Luka Doncic will want to at least get a few minutes in in order to give the Slovenian fans what they came to see.
Be that as it may, what is clear here is that the Mavs are already waving the white flag. Mathematically speaking, they still have a shot of finishing as the No. 10 seed in the West and thereby booking their place in the Play-In tournament. Well, the team's decision to sit out their stars and most of their key players on Friday confirms that they have now officially given up on the season.
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