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Mavericks' Luka Doncic may miss playoff opener against Jazz
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic suffered a calf strain in Sunday's regular-season finale. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Mavericks' Luka Doncic may miss playoff opener against Jazz

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Dallas Mavericks are preparing to be without superstar Luka Doncic when they open the game one of the NBA playoffs Saturday against the Utah Jazz. 

On ESPN's NBA Countdown Wednesday night, Wojnarowski said there was "a lot of skepticism" about whether or not Doncic would be available for game one against the Jazz. 

"The Mavericks are very much preparing for the possibility of not only not having him in game one but maybe even in game two on Monday," Wojnarowski said. "If this were the regular season, you wouldn't even be talking about him possibly playing this weekend."

Doncic was injured Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs. Late in the third quarter, Doncic appeared to land awkwardly after leaving his feet to make a pass. He hobbled off the floor, grabbing his left leg.

Initially, the Mavericks were optimistic the injury wasn't serious, calling it a mild calf strain. However, Wojnarowski said on Wednesday that he was told it was "more than just a mild calf strain." 

Doncic is having another all-star season for the Mavericks. In 65 games, the fourth-year pro has averaged 28.4 PPG, 9.1, 8.7 assists and 1.2 steals. 

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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