Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle clearly understands the concern over any potential ailment to Luka Doncic — especially considering the Mavs youngster's lingering ankle issues – but he sought to downplay the extent of his latest injury.
Doncic will not play on Saturday to face off against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks as he'll skip the second leg of a back-to-back to nurse his right ankle. However, Carlisle emphasized that the injury is not a major issue and is not a cause for concern.
Added Carlisle: “My understanding is it’s just sore.” https://t.co/Msa8JttSKg
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 22, 2020
Over the All-Star weekend, Doncic acknowledged the issues with his ankle, but he similarly attempted to allay concerns.
Doncic's ankle has somewhat plagued his stellar sophomore season. He missed four games after initially spraining it in December, then sat out another seven just before the All Star break after re-aggravating it. He played the final game before break (putting up 33, 12, and eight in a 130-111 win over the Sacramento Kings) and in Friday night's 122-106 win over the Orlando Magic.
The Slovenian star looked fine in the Mavs' showdown with the Magic, racking up 33 points, 10 boards and eight dimes.
In just his second season, Luka Doncic is putting up a ridiculous 29.o points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. He has the Mavs (34-22) at the top of the league in Offensive Rating (116.5) and tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for sixth in the Western Conference standings, a comfortable six games ahead of the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
No word yet on Luka's status for the Mavs' game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
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