Mavs Luka Doncic Will Get MRI On Ankle, Insists 'It's Not That Bad'
Luka Doncic either has a high tolerance for pain or a low tolerance for being behind in an NBA Playoffs series ... or both.
"It's not that bad,'' the Dallas Mavericks star insisted after a nasty left-ankle turn that caused him to exit Game 3 on Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers, then saw him try to re-enter, and then saw him limp back to the bench and the locker room further pained by Dallas 130-122 loss. "It's a little sprained. We'll know more tomorrow."
The Slovenian Sensation, just 21, tried to grit this out, for a few minutes playing distributor and decoy. He even got a 13-point triple double, the first of his career in the playoffs. But it wasn't enough to prevent the Clippers from taking a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
READ MORE: Mavs Lose Game 3 To Clippers - And Lose Luka Doncic, Too
So the X-rays were done. Doncic said an MRI is coming. And Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, speaking to us on a Zoom press conference, said the Mavs are "unsure of the exact severity of Luka's left ankle. ... We'll know more tomorrow. We'll see where he is come tomorrow and then Sunday morning.
Doncic makes it sound like he'll find a way to play in Game 4 on Sunday. Carlisle wasn't willing to go there just yet.
"We’ve got to see if we can get him significantly better by (Game 4),'' Carlisle said of the MVP candidate who is obviously crucial to Dallas' hopes of staying alive against the favored Clipper. "If it’s not Sunday, then (we'll try for Game 5).”
An easy prediction: Luka Doncic will have a very, very low tolerance for watching the Mavs play without him on Sunday.
