Mavericks downgrade Luka Doncic to out against the Grizzlies

Mar 20, 2023 - 7:10 PM

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After listing Luka Doncic as questionable on Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks downgraded their star to out for Monday’s road game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Markieff Morris is also unavailable.

Doncic was hopeful that he could play tonight, but instead this will be the fifth-straight game that Doncic will miss as he deals with a lingering left thigh strain. He recently resumed on-court activities and says that he’s making progress thanks to natural treatments.

Earlier this morning, Callie Caplan from The Dallas Morning News and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon indicated that it looked unlikely that Doncic would suit up tonight after the Mavericks held their shootaround in Memphis.

Dallas is in the midst of a stretch of games that can best be described as “must-win” given the tight standings in the Western Conference. Doncic indicated recently that he’s disappointed that he isn’t able to help his team compete and improve their seeding.

“It’s tough to be on a bench just sitting and watching, especially in these types of situations where we need every win we can get,” Doncic said. “It’s just frustrating to be on the bench right now.”

If there is some good news, it’s that neither Kyrie Irving nor Tim Hardaway Jr. were downgraded alongside Doncic and Morris. Irving, who is dealing with right foot soreness, and Hardaway, who has a non-Covid illness, remain questionable to play tonight.