SALT LAKE CITY — Luka Doncic will be in uniform and on the court today when the Dallas Mavericks face the Utah Jazz
at Vivint Arena in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round best-of-seven playoff series.
Tipoff is at 3:30 p.m.
Doncic missed the first three games with a strained left calf which he injured during the regular season finale on April 10 against the San Antonio Spurs. But coach Jason Kidd said Doncic has progressed with his rehab to the point where they’re comfortable playing him in a game.
Kidd said Doncic will be on a minutes restriction, but he wouldn’t reveal how many minutes they’re going to limit Doncic to.
“He won’t play all 48 (minutes),” Kidd said during his pregame press conference. “We’ll see how he feels and then we’ll go from there.
He’s done everything that the medical staff has asked him to do for the last two weeks, and he hasn’t had any setbacks. So we’ll see how he does today.”
The return of Doncic will move Spencer Dinwiddie back to his role as the first guard off the bench for the Mavs.
After winning Game 3 in Utah on Thursday, 126-118, the Mavs lead this best-of-seven series, 2-1. And if the Mavs can win today, since they’ll 
host Game 5 on Monday, they’ll have a chance of closing out this series.
The Mavs believe the return of Doncic today increases those odds of winning today and closing out the series at home on Monday..
“No, he hasn’t played in a real game,” Kidd said. “He’s done it all. Now it’s just a matter of getting him into this game.
“Knowing that the minutes are going to be what they are, that’s one part of the game. And the another part is to try and find a way to win one on the road, and we truly believe with him back that helps us.”
Doncic normally plays the entire first quarter and the entire third quarter. That, Kidd said, won’t happen today.
“Kidd said: “We want to see how he feels in the first couple of minutes, how the altitude, how the excitement of being back gets to him, and we’ll adjust from there.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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