LOS ANGELES – Luka Dončić banked in a half-court at the end of the Mavericks’ morning shootaround, then declared himself ready to roll for Game 5 at Crypto.com Wednesday night.
However, he admitted he’s not 100 percent because of his sprained right knee and a stubborn cold that has had him wheezing and congested for the past week.
Asked if he would be playing were this a regular-season game, he said: “Probably not.”
Dončić has put up good numbers in the first four games of the best-of-seven first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, which is tied at two wins apiece. He’s averaging 29 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists.
The one glaring exception has been his shooting, which is languishing at 26.5 percent from three-point range (13-of-49). He’s been shooting during workout sessions lately. But doing very little else, he said.
“Nothing, honestly. Just treatment, a lot of treatment,” he said of his off-day regimen. “But basketball, I just shot.”
Asked specifically about the knee that he injured early in Game 3, he said: “It’s not good. It could be way better. But it is what it is.
“I’ve been playing through injuries a lot. Just go out there and have fun. And do everything you can to get your team a win.”
Perhaps it’s time for a Willis Reed-type of moment. Reed famously limped out of the locker room in the 1970 NBA finals and led the New York Knicks to their first championship.
More recently, in 2011, Dirk Nowitzki shook off a nasty cold in Game 4 of the 2011 NBA Finals against Miami and willed the Mavericks to a series-tilting victory.
Dončić would rather be 100 percent, of course, and not have to deal with any dramatics.
But that’s not the case.
As for the sickness he’s been dealing with, Dončić said: “It’s been that way for five or six days. I took pills, but nothing’s helping. I just got used to it.”
X: @ESefko
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