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The Dallas Mavericks are expecting Luka Doncic to sit out their playoff opener against the Utah Jazz on Saturday due to a calf strain.
Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news on Thursday of what will likely prove to be a critical absence for the Mavs.
Doncic strained his left calf in the third quarter of the Mavs’ final regular season fixture, a 130-120 win over the San Antonio Spurs, and sat out the rest of the game after putting up 26 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
The two-time All-Star would have been ineligible for the game had the NBA not rescinded his 16th technical foul of the season, which he earned in the game prior against the Portland Trailblazers. Doncic would have been forced to serve a one-game suspension if the technical foul had stood.
Though the win over the Spurs was ultimately a meaningless game, with the Golden State Warriors defeating the New Orleans Pelicans and confirming the Western Conference’s third seed, the Mavs still had to keep up their end of the bargain and beat the Spurs.
The 23-year-old Slovenian averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game this season.
