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Mavericks star guard's concerning injury is 'not good' after Game 3

Noah Weber
Noah Weber

The Smoking Cuban

Los Angeles Clippers v Dallas Mavericks - Game Three / Sam Hodde/GettyImages

On Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks took a pivotal 2-1 series lead over the LA Clippers after a 101-90 win on their home floor at the American Airlines Center.

Dallas has been able to string together back-to-back wins in Games 2 and 3 after a rough loss in Game 1, and the team's chemistry and energy are at a high. Friday night's game was extremely chippy, with both P.J. Washington and Russell Westbrook both being ejected.

Washington was unbothered by Terrance Mann getting in his face and immediately ran over to Luka Doncic to protect him after Westbrook shoved him in the fourth quarter, and that shows the exact type of teammate he is.

While everyone is buzzing about Washington's viral moment starting down the Clippers bench with his arms crossed, a moment from the first quarter of this game has started to concern fans.

Luka Doncic's knee injury is 'not good' after Game 3

Doncic subbed out of the game with three minutes left in the first quarter, and there was clearly something wrong with his right knee. He was grimacing in pain and kept holding it before Irving checked in for him.

As Doncic hobbled to the Mavericks bench, he stopped at the scorer's table and kind of hunched over before limping to the bench before going back to the locker room with some of Dallas' staff.

While Doncic ended up returning later in this quarter and seemed fine during the game and scored 23 points, his self-diagnosis after the game could be a bit concerning ahead of Game 3 tomorrow.

Doncic said his knee injury was "not good" and "pretty stiff" in his postgame press conference and said they would know more today when he will likely be re-evaluated. Doncic also said that he will "try to go anyway."

Doncic returning to this game helped earn the Mavs the win, but he was not himself. He shot 7-25 from the field and 3-14 from downtown, and this could have come with the stiffness in his knee.

Mavs head coach Jason Kidd could provide the media with an update on Doncic's knee today, and his status for Game 4 could end up being in question depending on how his knee feels today.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks amid this heated series with the LA Clippers, stay tuned.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.