The Dallas Mavericks are playing against the San Antonio Spurs tonight at the AT & T Center. Both teams’ fans will be expecting them to end the year on a strong note as we are surely in for another treat tonight. The Mavs have not had the best time this year. The Texas-based franchise has had a rollercoaster of a season, where they won 20 out of 36 games.
The San Antonio Spurs have won 12 games and endured a loss on 23 occasions. The records of both teams show that the Mavs might be the one to take the win tonight. However, they have a few injuries to some of their best players, which might come in the way.
Luka Doncic is listed as day-to-day for the Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs tonight
Luka Doncic made history recently by putting up some ridiculous numbers against the New York Knicks on December 27. The Slovenian scored 60 points in a single game and added 21 rebounds and 10 assists as well. It seemed like everything he touched turned into gold on the night. At the end of the game, he told the media that he was tired and that he needed to get a drink.
This indicates that Luka might be overworked after all, as he puts in a shift for the Mavs almost every game. To support this argument, in the following game against the Houston Rockets, Luka had another triple-double. He put up 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists.
The fact that he has scored an astounding number of points this season has even drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan’s stats, where some fans even mention that His Airness couldn’t achieve what Luka managed to.
It looks like the Mavs’ dependence on Doncic might have taken a drastic turn. It is expected for any player to burn out since the risk of injury increases as well when they are performing at the level Luka is. According to reports, Luka is day-to-day for the game tonight against the Spurs.
Luka Dončić (left ankle soreness) is probable for tomorrow night’s game in San Antonio.
Dorian Finney-Smith (right adductor strain), Josh Green (right elbow sprain) and Maxi Kleber (right hamstring tear) will remain out.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) December 30, 2022
However, it looks like Doncic might play through his ankle soreness since he is probable. Together with Luka, Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green, and Maxi Kleber are also injured.
Dallas Mavericks injury report
- Luka Doncic (probable)
- Dorian Finney-Smith (out)
- Josh Green (out)
- Maxi Kleber (out)
Dallas Mavericks expected roster
- Luka Doncic (probable)
- Christian Wood
- Spencer Dinwiddie
- Tim Hardaway Jr.
- Frank Ntilikina
San Antonio Spurs injury report
- Devin Vassell
San Antonio Spurs expected roster
- Keldon Johnson
- Tre Jones
- Romeo Langford
- Jakob Poeltl
- Jeremy Sochan
Can the Mavs continue their winning streak against the Spurs without Luka Doncic?
The Mavs have been phenomenal in recent games. They are currently on a 5-game winning streak, thanks to Luka and Co. In the last 10 games, they have won on 7 occasions. The Mavs’ recent form would suggest that they are the favorites for tonight’s game. With that said, Luka will be instrumental if he plays as well.
The Spurs will not have the services of Devin Vassell tonight. The 22-year-old is currently dealing with a knee injury. That wouldn’t be the news that Spurs fans would have wanted to hear as well. Vassell is one of the best players on the roster and is a good shooter. He has been hitting 44.7 FG% this season in 28 games played so far.
His absence from the Spurs lineup will surely be notable. Be that as it may, if Luka does not feature tonight, the Spurs will definitely be looking to take advantage of that. Keldon Johnson has been on fire in recent games and is coming off a 30-point game against the Knicks.
The Mavs took the win the last four times they played against the Spurs. As expected, Luka was the standout performer on all four occasions. We can expect the result to go in the same direction tonight, and Luka will be looking to keep up his form.