Dallas Mavs' Luka Doncic Will Play Against Sacramento Kings

Mavs superstar Luka Doncic was upgraded to being available to play against the Kings for Tuesday's matchup.

Mar 21, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) laughs during the second / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

SACRAMENTO — The Dallas Mavericks will face the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center. Luka Doncic, who was initially listed as questionable to play due to a left Achilles soreness injury, was upgraded to available.

Maxi Kleber was listed as questionable to play due to right knee soreness, but like Doncic, he was also upgraded to available. Josh Green remains sidelined due to a right ankle sprain.

Dallas Mavericks v Utah Jazz / Alex Goodlett/GettyImages

Doncic helped guide the Mavs to a 115-105 victory over the Utah Jazz in his previous outing, achieving his 20th triple-double of the season. He scored 29 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds.

As the Mavs enter a two-game mini-series against the Kings in Sacramento, they hold a 0-2 record in the season series. A tightly contested race for the sixth seed remains involving the Kings and Mavs adds additional weight to these games. Doncic underscored the significance of these matchups on Monday.

“Very big games,” Doncic said. “It’s tough to play Sacramento. The crowd’s going, they got a lot of great players. It’s going to be a tough two games for sure. We got to stay together for 48 minutes and be physical.”

Against the Jazz, Doncic's shooting results weren't at his usual levels as he finished 10-24 (41.7%) from the floor, 2-11 (18.2%) from the perimeter, and 7-8 (87.5%) from the free throw line. He emphasized the importance of attacking the paint and making plays by making proper low-man reads before looking to score or making a play with the pass to a teammate.

"When I get aggressive and I enter the paint, good things happen," Doncic said. "So, I just have to do that more, I have read if the low-man helps, Gafford or Lively is up there. If the other low-man helps, there's a corner open, so I'm just trying to read the game."

Doncic has had an extraordinary season, averaging 34.0 points, 9.9 assists, and 9.0 rebounds over 62 games. The Mavs have achieved a 39-23 record when he plays versus being 3-6 when he's sidelined.