Mavericks Superstar Luka Doncic Unlikely for Game 1 vs. Jazz

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Dallas Mavericks are expected to be without franchise player Luka Doncic for Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz.

The 23-year-old continues to be plagued by a strained calf, an injury he suffered in the Mavs’ season finale against the San Antonio Spurs.

The loss is obviously a significant blow to Dallas’ postseason outlook. Capturing home-court advantage for the first time since 2011, even were Doncic to return at some point in the series, it is hard to believe he would be anywhere close to 100% with what ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski described as “more than just a mild calf strain.”

Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie will be asked to step up in Doncic’s absence. With Doncic off the floor, both Brunson and Dinwiddie average over a fantasy point-per-minute, rendering the pair viable options in Saturday DFS contests.

FanDuel Sportsbook has the Mavericks as +5 home underdogs on the spread and +176 on the moneyline.