Lukamania is running wild once again.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic is expected to take the floor on Thursday night against the Spurs after missing Dallas' previous four games with a sprained ankle. He is officially listed as questionable, but the team's Twitter account shut down any doubt about his status for the Southwest Division matchup.
He's 🔙!
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) December 26, 2019
Tipoff set for 7PM CT...we'll see y'all at the @AACenter! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/cmOKxcInbE
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Doncic suffered the injury in the opening minutes of the Mavs' 122-118 loss to the Heat on Dec. 14 when he stepped on Kendrick Nunn's foot while driving toward the basket.
Luka left the game after suffering an ankle injury.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 15, 2019
Hope he's alright 🙏 pic.twitter.com/c8s62fNuMK
Dallas managed to go 2-2 with Doncic stuck on the bench, defeating the Bucks and Sixers and falling to the Celtics and Raptors. The Mavs could have easily finished that stretch 3-1, but they blew a 30-point lead in Toronto, allowing the Raptors to complete the largest comeback in franchise history.
Prior to his injury, Doncic was enjoying an MVP-caliber season, averaging 29.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game. Despite missing the past four contests, the 20-year-old still leads the league with eight triple-doubles. Porzingis picked up the slack in Doncic's absence with 22.5 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in those four games.
The Mavericks (19-10) are firmly in the Western Conference race for a top-four seed. They stand right behind the Rockets (21-10), Clippers (23-10) and Nuggets (21-9), and they are only four games back of the first-place Lakers (24-7). They play within the friendly confines of the American Airlines Center on Thursday before heading out for a three-game road trip against the Warriors, Lakers and Thunder.
