The Dallas Mavericks are doing their best to shroud Luka Doncic's Game 1 status against the Utah Jazz in secrecy as he deals with a calf strain. However, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski's latest reporting suggests it's not looking good for Doncic to be able to play at the start of the series.

Woj says there's “a lot of skepticism” about Doncic being ready for Saturday's Game 1:

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

Article Continues Below
More Dallas Mavericks News
Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) dribbles the ball against the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center.
Will Cooper Flagg be Mavericks’ point guard until Kyrie Irving returns from injury?Joey Mistretta ·
Mavericks Luka Doncic on left, Mavericks Cooper Flagg on right, stop light in the middle on red.
Why the Cooper Flagg-Luka Doncic comparisons must come to an endJoey Mistretta ¡
mavericks, dallas mavericks, d'angelo russell
The player Dallas Mavericks must avoid in 2025 NBA free agencyGarrett Kerman ¡
Cooper Flagg talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago.
Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals his favorite WNBA player’s gameAbdullah Imran ·
Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving talks with Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) after the game against the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center.
Wings’ Paige Bueckers reveals how Kyrie Irving inspired ‘unguardable’ motivationJoey Mistretta ·
Dallas Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg speaks to the media during a press conference at the Dallas Mavericks Practice Facility.
Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg makes first Dallas appearance at Wings-Fever clashRichard Pereira ·

Doncic strained his calf in the regular-season finale. He underwent an MRI and a calf strain was confirmed, but the Mavs refused to put a timetable on the injury. The way Woj says it, there's a chance Doncic will be held out for Monday's Game 2 as well, and he would definitely be sitting out if this were still the regular season. The strain is evidently more than “mild.”

Doncic will surely do whatever he can to be on the floor for this Game 1 in Dallas, but he and the Mavs need to be smart. If he needs to sit out a game in order to have a better chance of coming back healthy and not making the injury worse, so be it. Missing both home games to start the series would admittedly be tough with Games 3 and 4 in Utah, but, again, Dallas must be smart about this.

The Mavs would be in some trouble without Doncic, but they really improved as a team as the season went on, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Dallas would have to grind out wins without its offensive engine, which would be difficult but not impossible against a Jazz team that has had its own host of problems coming down the stretch of this season.

Continue to stay tuned for more injury updates on Luka Doncic as Game 1 draws closer.