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Luka Doncic gives unsettling injury update ahead of Game 4 against Thunder

Noah Weber
Noah Weber

The Smoking Cuban

Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic / Tim Heitman/GettyImages

Later today, the Dallas Mavericks have the chance to take a 3-1 series over the Oklahoma City Thunder on their home floor.

Dallas is coming off a pivotal Game 3 victory over the weekend, and the Mavs can take full control of the series if they can get a win tonight. The Thunder winning three games in a row to take the series would be extremely challenging and an uphill battle and the sooner Dallas can close out this series, the better.

Luka Doncic had a strong Game 3 as he finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds, but his knee injury continues to be a problem.

Luka Doncic gives injury update ahead of Game 4 against Thunder

After Game 3, Doncic said he re-injured his knee on a play toward the end of the game when he was trying to split two defenders. Doncic sarcastically said "obviously nobody touched (him)" on that play and said "everything" hurts and later talked about the positive aspect of getting some extra rest since Game 3 was a day game.

Doncic will get a couple more hours of rest compared to if they played a night game and or had to travel, and he needs every minute of rest that he can get at this point. He seemed to be moving better in Game 3 than he was in Games 1 and 2, but something to monitor going forward in this series is a back injury he suffered towards the end of the game.

He and Lu Dort were fighting for a loose ball in mid-air, and Doncic landed straight on his back. Doncic said that this injury is "the least of (his) problems" and that "(he'll) get better in two days," but it is definitely something to keep an eye on as this series progresses.

Doncic is already listed as questionable on today's injury report with his right knee sprain and left ankle soreness, and adding a back injury on top of this would be less than ideal for him. He made it seem like this was nothing serious at all, but tonight's game will tell the story of whether this affects him or not.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks throughout their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the entire 2024 NBA Playoffs, 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.