The Dallas Mavericks split the first two games of their opening round series against the Utah Jazz during the 2022 postseason before pulling ahead with a win in Game 3. The team managed to get that 2-1 series lead while Luka Doncic watched on the sideline as he dealt with a calf injury he suffered on the final day of the regular season.
Ahead of the series shifting back to Utah for Games 3 and 4, the Mavericks got some welcomed news from Shams Charania of The Athletic: There was optimism that Doncic would be able to play in at least one of the games in Salt Lake City. Ultimately, the team listed him as probable in the lead-up to Game 4, and 90 minutes before tip, it was announced that Doncic is available.
Luka Dončić (left calf strain) has been upgraded to probable for Game 4 in Utah.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) April 23, 2022
Luka Dončić (left calf strain) will be available for Game 4 in Utah.
Tim Hardaway Jr. (left foot surgery) and Frank Ntilikina (illness recovery) will remain out.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) April 23, 2022
After a hard-fought loss by six points in Game 1, Dallas was able to bounce back in a big way in Games 2 and 3, picking up a 110-104 win in the former and a 124-118 win in the latter thanks to a pair of stellar games by Jalen Brunson. The former consensus college national player of the year scored 41 points with eight rebounds and five assists in Game 2 to help keep the team from finding itself in a 0-2 hole before they left the Lone Star State for Salt Lake City, and upon getting to Utah, Brunson went for 31 points and five assists.
On the season, Doncic has averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.7 assists in 35.4 minutes per game for the 4-seed in the Western Conference.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/luka-doncic-return-mavericks-jazz-nba-playoffs-injury-update/