Lucania is running wild once again.
Mavericks star Luca Doncic is expected to speak on Thursday night against the Spurs after removing Dallas’ last four games with a wrist ankle. It is officially listed as questionable, but the team’s Twitter account closed any doubt about its status for the Southwest Division matchup.
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Doncic suffered an injury in the first minutes of the Mavs 122-118 loss to heat on December 14 when he stepped on Kendrick Nunn’s leg as he drove to the basket.
Dallas went 2-2 with Doncic being trapped on the bench, defeating the Bucks and Sixers and falling to the Celtics and Raptors. The Mavs could easily have finished that stretch 3-1, but broke a 30-point lead in Toronto, allowing the Raptors to make the biggest comeback in franchise history.
Prior to his injury, Doncic enjoyed an MVP-caliber season, averaging 29.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game. Despite losing the last four contests, the 20-year-old still leads the league with eight triples. Porzingis recorded the relief in Doncic’s absence with 22.5 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in those four games.
The Mavericks (19-10) are firmly in the Western Conference race for a top four seed. They are right behind the Rockets (21-10), Clippers (23-10) and Nuggets (21-9), and are only four games behind the first Lakers (24-7). They play inside the friendly grounds of the US Airport on Thursday before embarking on a three-day trip with the warriors, the Lakers and Thunder.