The Dallas Mavericks have officially ruled out Luka Doncic for Game 2 of their playoffs series with the Utah Jazz.
Doncic is still recovering from the left calf strain he sustained in the final game of the regular season. He already missed Game 1 because of the issue, though there were some hope he could be available for Monday's game.
The Slovenian wonderboy was listed as doubtful heading to Game 2, but the one-day gap between Games 1 and 2 was not enough time to get him back to full health. However, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd noted that he “continues to progress.”
Dallas has remained silent about the severity of Luka Doncic's injury, only saying he is day-to-day as the continue to assess his recovery. For what it's worth, the usual mild calf strains often take up to two weeks. There have been speculations that Luka's injury is Grade 1 which, if true, means that Doncic should be able to return sooner rather than later.
Of course Doncic's absence is a major blow to the Mavs. They have already lost homecourt advantage with their Game 1 defeat, and so winning Game 2 is crucial if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. Without their superstar, that is a job easier said than done.
Doncic's status for Game 3 remains unknown. However, Mavs fans are certainly hoping for the best.