Luka Doncic exits Game 3 after trying to play through ankle sprain
Say this for Luka Doncic, he seems to have a pretty high pain tolerance.
The Dallas Mavericks superstar suffered a nasty-looking ankle sprain in the third quarter of Game 3 on Friday, eventually hopping to the locker room while putting no weight on his left leg. Further replay showed him severely turning his left ankle.
Luka Doncic left the game with an ankle injury
pic.twitter.com/JEi1zA6ygu— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 22, 2020
And then he came back.
The Slovenian 21-year-old was back on the court minutes by the start of the fourth quarter, announced to be available despite an ankle sprain. He was clearly a different player upon returning, focusing more on distributing the ball and catch-and-shoots, but it was still a sight to see.
The pain seemed to eventually be too much for Doncic, though. He exited the game again and did not return that time. He was later seen back on the Mavericks bench with his ankle heavily taped up.
While Doncic wasn’t able to do much in his three minutes back on the court, he was still able to get the last assist he needed for a 13-point triple double, the first of his career in the playoffs. The Los Angeles Clippers eventually won 130-122 to take a 2-1 series lead.
Could Luka Doncic miss Game 4?
After the game, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters that the team doesn’t yet know the severity of Doncic’s injury and will know more on Saturday.
Rick Carlisle: "Unsure of the exact severity of Luka's left ankle. ... We'll know more tomorrow. He did come back and try it obviously and wasn't moving great, so we'll see where he is come tomorrow and then Sunday morning."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) August 22, 2020
Carlisle added that he didn’t think the injury got worse because Doncic tried to return. He also appeared to hint that Game 4 could be in question for Doncic, which is bad news for a Mavs team trying to avoid falling behind 3-1 against the Clippers.
Meanwhile, Doncic downplayed the injury and said he would undergo an MRI on Saturday. He noted the injury wasn’t on the ankle where he has encountered problems in the past.
"It's not that bad... it's a little sprained. We'll know more tomorrow."
Luka Doncic on his ankle injury sustained in game three. #MFFL pic.twitter.com/yD87eSG6nB— FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) August 22, 2020
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