The Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons will be facing off at the American Airlines Center tonight. The Mavericks will be aiming to get back to winning form after losing to the Utah Jazz in the last game. Their record is 26-25 for the 2022-23 NBA season as the Mavs sit in 7th seed right now. The Pistons, however, are not doing any better as well. They sit at the bottom of the East with just 13 wins and 38 losses and their star player Cade Cunningham sitting on the sidelines.
They have had a player in Bojan Bogdanovic step up this season, but he has been linked with numerous franchises with a trade as well. The Pistons will be aiming to take advantage of the Mavs’ defensive misery tonight. And on top of that, the Mavs might not have their superstar Luka Doncic available for the game tonight too.
Luka Doncic is day-to-day for the Dallas Mavericks vs Detroit Pistons game tonight
Luka Doncic suffered a major injury very recently against the Phoenix Suns. It was a matchup that fans have been waiting for but Luka could not play for more than three minutes. He sprained his ankle in the first quarter and had to leave the game early. The Mavs later announced that Luka will not be returning to the court that night. Unfortunately for Mavs fans, Luka had to miss the game against the Jazz as well.
Luka Doncic is heading to the locker room after hurting his left ankle 🙏pic.twitter.com/IULzyJPdQP
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 27, 2023
Luka is listed as day-to-day on the Mavs injury report ahead of the Pistons game tonight. His availability remains a huge question mark as fans await to see whether the Slovenian will play. The Mavs board might also choose to rest him and not risk the injury further as well. Apart from Luka, Christian Wood and Maxi Kleber are also listed on the injury report. Both of them will miss tonight’s game due to thumb and hamstring injuries respectively.
Dallas Mavericks injury report
- Luka Doncic (day-to-day)
- Christian Wood (out)
- Maxi Kleber (out)
Dallas Mavericks expected roster
- Spencer Dinwiddie
- Dorian Finney-Smith
- Reggie Bullock
- Dwight Powell
- Josh Green
Detroit Pistons injury report
- Cory Joseph (out)
- Marvin Bagley III (out)
- Cade Cunningham (out)
Detroit Pistons expected roster
- Bojan Bogdanovic
- Saddiq Bey
- Jalen Duren
- Jaden Ivey
- Alec Burks
Cade Cunningham continues to be on the sidelines with a leg injury. Sources claim that he successfully underwent surgery and is currently recovering from a left tibial stress fracture.
Can the Mavericks win against the Pistons without Luka Doncic?
The Mavs have not done great without Luka Doncic in recent times. They have a record of 0-6 without the Slovenian in the 2022-23 NBA season. It speaks at length about how much they depend on one player to help them get out of tricky situations. When Luka left the game early after getting injured, Spencer Dinwiddie stepped up for the Mavs to help them take the win. Similarly, he might have to do the same tonight as well.
The Pistons do have a strong team and Bojan Bogdanovic is currently at the center of it. He will be the key to it all tonight against the Mavericks. Without Luka, the Mavs’ offense will not be as dangerous and the Pistons should take advantage of it. However, our prediction is that Mavs players might step up in Luka’s absence once again. Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith will be crucial for the Mavs tonight, especially if Luka does not feature.
The last time these two teams faced off, the Pistons won the game 125-131. Despite Luka’s best efforts with 35 points and 10 assists, a 30-point game from Bojan was enough for the Pistons to be triumphant on the night. They will put up a good fight tonight, but there is a chance that the Mavs have a good game tonight.
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