Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic remains out with swollen knee

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic missed his second straight game on April 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers. Find out the latest about his injury.

Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic was injured in their March 28 game in Miami against the Heat. Luka finished the game with 19 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in 31 minutes. The Mavs ultimately lost to the Heat 105-99 that evening. The injury caught up to him, though.

Doncic was held out of the April 1 game against the Philadelphia 76ers because of the ailment. It marked the second straight game he missed. Here is an update from Coach Carlisle courtesy of Bobby Karalla.

No Doncic tonight, per Carlisle. Said there's still swelling in the knee. He would like to see him on the floor before the end of the season, but "if it's not the right thing, we won't do it."
— Bobby Karalla (@bobbykaralla) April 1, 2019

Carlisle also had this to say courtesy of Dwain Price.

Carlisle on Luka: "He still got swelling in the knee. He took a knee-to-knee hit on Thursday night (in Miami) early in the game, but he finished the game. But he certainly didn't look like himself the rest of the game. It's been a little bit slow, so we're not going to rush it."
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) April 1, 2019

Clearly, the Mavs are going to wait until Luka Doncic is 100 percent healthy before allowing him to play in another game. That puts his season in question. The Mavericks only have five games remaining. They wrap up their season on April 10. That leaves Luka just over a week to get the swelling down and prove he is back at full strength.

Dallas has won both games with Doncic on the bench. They defeated two playoff-bound teams in the process. Jalen Brunson has stepped up and played fantastic in both contests. The Mavs have plenty of players fighting for minutes next season, and that is fueling their winning streak.

Final thoughts

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic missed his second straight game with a right leg injury. It is odd that the team first classified it as a thigh injury and is now discussing swelling in his knee. Either way, it is not an injury that is going to linger beyond a few weeks.

Luka has already played 70 games this season. The rookie is averaging 21.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.3 3-pointers made and 1.1 steals in 32.2 minutes per game. Expect Doncic’s minutes to increase closer to 34 next season. The added playing time plus development should allow his counting stats to take a leap next season.

Next. 3 reasons Luka is the rookie of the decade

The sky is truly the limit for the 20-year-old. Luka Doncic should be an All-Star next season. In two years, he could be viewed as a top-five player in the NBA. Luka needs to develop his game a bit for that to happen, but the potential is there. Dallas Mavericks fans should be ecstatic about that possibility.

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