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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.
Luka Dončić (left thigh strain) and Markieff Morris (left knee soreness) have been downgraded to out for tonight’s game in Memphis.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) March 20, 2023
Tim Hardaway Jr. (non-Covid illness) and Kyrie Irving (right foot soreness) remain questionable.
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.
Luka Doncic (questionable with left thigh strain) is last one at Mavs’ pre-Grizzlies shootaround.
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) March 20, 2023
Team closed the court to reporters before Luka left the floor, so perhaps a sign he plans to do a more extensive workout now. In that case, return tonight would be unlikely. pic.twitter.com/oim9uDWoEN
Luka Doncic (thigh strain) is listed as questionable after missing the last four games, but there wasn’t much optimism at Mavs’ shootaround that the superstar would play vs. Grizzlies tonight.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 20, 2023
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.
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