After avoiding him for the first three games of their first-round playoff series, the Utah Jazz will be facing superstar Luka Doncic on Saturday afternoon when they play Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd announced pregame that Doncic would play, after injuring his left calf 13 days ago.
Asked if Doncic would be on a minutes restriction, Kidd quipped, “He probably won’t play the whole game.”
When asked if he had a certain number of minutes in mind for his playmaking forward, Kidd declined to give a range, noting, “You guys will hold me to it.”
In terms of how Doncic’s return will impact the Mavs’ rotation, Kidd pointed out that, when healthy, Doncic typically plays the entire first quarter, but he did not anticipate that would be the case in Game 4.
The first-year Dallas coach said the All-NBA-level player has “done everything that the medical staff has asked him to the last two weeks,” and added multiple times when queried about how long he can go, “We’ll just see how he feels today.”
Doncic averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game this season, while shooting 45.7% from the field and 35.3% from 3-point range.
The Mavericks lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 going into Saturday’s game — one that several Jazz players have termed “must-win,” with Game 5 scheduled for Dallas on Monday.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/cJ43Gjm
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