Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been downgraded to questionable for Sunday night’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
According to the injury report released by the NBA at 1:30 p.m. ET, Doncic is now dealing with a thoracic contusion in addition to the right knee sprain and left ankle soreness he has struggled with throughout the Mavericks’ playoff run.
How and when Doncic suffered the injury during Game 1 was not revealed.
During Saturday’s practice session, Doncic was seen noticeably tending to his rib area and chest, grimacing from pain at times. However, he was still listed as probable on the Mavericks’ injury report until he was downgraded on Sunday afternoon.
Doncic attended Sunday morning’s shootaround, though was not on the court during the part of the session open to the media.
Added context: Luka Doncic typically attempts half-court shots with his teammates and shoots some free throws during the open portion of shootaround. He was already seated when it was opened today.
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) June 9, 2024
Though Doncic hasn’t missed any of Dallas’ games during this postseason, he was listed on the injury report for a right knee sprain during the team’s first-round series versus the Los Angeles Clippers. For the second-round matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he was listed with left ankle soreness.
During the Western Conference finals versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, Doncic was again on the injury report with right knee soreness.
Doncic scored 30 points in Dallas’ 107–89 loss to Boston in Game 1 on Thursday night. He shot 12-for-26 (and 4-for-12 on three-pointers), leading the Mavericks as the Celtics dominated the game from the start.
Additionally, Doncic grabbed 10 rebounds, making him the first player to record a double-double with 30 or more points in his first NBA FInals game since Tim Duncan did so in 1999 for the San Antonio Spurs.
In the Mavericks’ 18 games this posteason, Doncic is averaging 28.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game.
Game 2 of the NBA Finals tips off from Boston’s TD Garden at 8 p.m. ET. The telecast is on ABC.
