National Basketball Association

Luka Dončić's absence felt in Mavs' Game 1 loss to Jazz

Published Apr. 16, 2022 4:58 p.m. ET

Luka Dončić was sorely missed on Saturday in Dallas.

The Mavericks fell 99-93 to the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of their first-round series, as Dončić was sidelined with a strained left calf, an injury he sustained in the third quarter of the Mavs' regular-season finale against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

The team hasn't specified the grade of Dončić's strain, nor has the team provided an estimated timetable for his return, sparking significant concern regarding his availability for Monday's Game 2 and for the remainder of the playoffs.

The two-time first-team All-NBA selection has, however, played through injuries in his previous two playoff appearances — a sprained ankle in 2020 and a cervical strain in 2021.

"He’s doing things he supposed to do to hopefully play in this series," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said of Dončić before the opener.

"If he's hurt and he can't play, we're not going to roll him out there to jeopardize or put him in a situation to make things worse," Kidd said earlier this week.

On Friday's edition of "First Things First," Nick Wright explained why the injury is worrisome for Dallas but certainly isn't a knockout punch to the Mavs' chances at a championship run.

"It's devastating, but as long as Luka's back by Game 3, they still will [make the Finals]," he said. "You can fall down 0-2 to the Jazz and be in a great position — ask the Clippers from last year. … The reason this is devastating is because … [Dončić'] has true GOAT potential.

"Here's a fun fact for you. The three greatest players ever — LeBron [James], Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and Michael [Jordan], you pick the order — do you know what they all have in common? None of them ever missed a single playoff game. Never once in their career was their team in the playoffs and they were not available. This is the first actual blemish on Luka's potential GOAT resumé."

The 23-year-old MVP candidate, who has not practiced since suffering the injury, averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game this season.

Jalen Brunson, who led all Mavs with 24 points and seven rebounds on Saturday, served as starting point guard in Dončić's place. The Mavs shot 38.2% from the field — including an abysmal 28.1% from distance — while the Jazz connected on 43.4% of their attempts.

Dallas, during the regular season, averaged 23.4 assists per game as a team. On Saturday, they only dished out 17.

After the game, Kidd said that he was encouraged by Dallas' performance without Dončić.

"[Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson] were great this afternoon. Offensively, they found guys. We got shots. But our defense gave us a chance to win this game. So, a lot of good stuff, not just from those two but from the team."

The Dallas defense was indeed stout. The Jazz averaged 113.6 points per game during the regular season, but were held well below that average in Game 1.

However, Dallas, similarly, did not come near its season average of 108.0 points per game.

Game 2 is slated for Monday at 5:30 p.m. PT. Meaning "Dončić Watch" will continue throughout the rest of the weekend.