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Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle shed some hope on Luka Doncic's possible return from an ankle injury when he claimed that the Slovenian star will be upgraded against the San Antonio Spurs in their scheduled match at the American Airlines Center on Thursday.
However, it looks like Doncic's return to the hardwood will once again be a game-time decision, as his status for the Mavs' upcoming match is now listed as questionable, per ESPN's Tim McMahon.
Mavericks are officially listing Luka Doncic as questionable for Thursday’s home game vs. Spurs. He has missed the last four games due to a right ankle sprain.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 25, 2019
The Mavs have gone 2-2 in their past four games without Luka, getting valuable contribution from their other European star Kristaps Porzingis to keep the team afloat and hold on to the fifth spot in the Western Conference with a 19-10 record. However, the team also showed loss of composure down the stretch without their steady playmaker, losing a close 103-109 decision to the Boston Celtics and allowing the Toronto Raptors to claw back from a 30-point lead.
Still, the Mavs are extremely lucky that Doncic's injury was not as bad as initially suspected and would only miss around four to six games. Other contenders have already been dealing with constant and lengthy injuries to their players, while guys like Portland Trail Blazers guard Rodney Hood and Brooklyn Nets swingman David Nwaba already out of commission due to devastating season-ending injuries.
Dallas is primed to return to the postseason this season, and they will likely go as far as Doncic will take them. The 20-year-old has met and even surpassed the expectations bestowed upon him after an impressive rookie season last year.
He has been averaging 29.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.2 steals before the injury, and it will be interesting to see if he can sustain those numbers upon his return to the Mavs.
