Is Luka Doncic Playing vs Blazers? Full Injury Report Revealed

Jeremy Hanna | Dec 28, 2024

Dec 23, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) checks the scoreboard during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers are having a rough time this NBA season. They are currently sitting at 13th place in the Western Conference with a 10-20 record.

However, there is still a chance for the Blazers to turn things around and make a run for the playoffs.

With 52 games left in the season, Portland is only five games out of the Play-In tournament. That gives them more than enough time to make some kind of comeback.

The Blazers have already started to turn things around with a narrow 122-120 win over the Utah Jazz. Now, they'll face a tougher opponent with the Dallas Mavericks.

Fortunately, it looks like Portland will have an advantage when they face off against Dallas.

According to the official NBA Injury Report, the Mavericks will be down five players. This includes star point guard Luka Doncic.

Doncic has been a dominant player even before he debuted in the NBA, winning the EuroLeague championship and being named EuroLeague MVP in 2018.

Once he came to the NBA, he earned countless accolades, including NBA Rookie of the Year (2019) and being named a five-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA First-Team. In 2024, he led the NBA in scoring and the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals.

This year, Doncic has had a similarly excellent season, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 total rebounds, 7.8 assists, and two steals.

Unfortunately for the Mavericks, he won't be helping the team against the Blazers.

On Dec. 27, Dallas announced that Doncic would be sidelined for at least a month with a left calf strain. He will be reevaluated after the first month.

While this is bad news for Dallas, it could be the boost needed for Portland to change the momentum of the season around.

Two more players have been designated as out due to injury. Center Dereck Lively II will be out due to a left hip contusion and point guard Dante Exum is out as he recovers from wrist surgery.

Finally, two Dallas players will miss the game due to suspension. Small forward Naji Marshall and power forward PJ Washington were both suspended due to an "on-court altercation" against the Phoenix Suns.

Oh dam, Jusuf Nurkic and Naji Marshall was squabbling pic.twitter.com/ndaT5enri7

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) December 28, 2024

Essentially, if the Blazers want to beat the Mavericks, this is the time to do it. Time will tell if Portland is able to take advantage of the situation.

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