The Dallas Mavericks endured the daunting task of surviving against the Los Angeles Clippers. The standout of the series – Kyrie Irving swooned the experts with his dexterous scoring. In the closeout Game 6, the man with the clutch shot in the 2016 NBA Finals scored 30 points to lead the Mavs over the Clippers. The same success wasn’t visible for Luka Doncic.

The Slovenian international had an impressive series against his nemesis. However, he was evidently struggling to make his shots at the same time. He only shot 9-26 from the floor and made just a single three. In the prior series against the Clippers, Doncic appeared to be a vicious threat from all over the court. His passing instincts didn’t fade during his ongoing shooting slump.

It was later discovered that the Dallas sensation was battling with a lingering knee injury all throughout the series. It seems to have impacted his conversion rates causing a downfall in his scoring prowess. It has further raised concerns for tonight’s showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder who have had over a week’s rest after sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans.

During the Hoop Collective podcast, Brian Windhorst shared his assessment of Doncic’s current knee ailment and how it could deter the Mavericks in their intense series opener on the road.

Luka Doncic will not be fully healthy throughout the postseason

Windhorst, joined by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon discussed the playoff landscape as it shifts towards the second-round series. After falling for Anthony Edwards, they moved their attention to the series between the Mavericks and the Thunder. The obvious point of discussion was Doncic’s health.

One of his guests made an observation that could potentially hamper the chances of the Mavericks triumphing over the number one seed. Remembering a battered Doncic in front of his locker, MacMahon cited what the star Mavericks guard said about his knee injury. “I don’t quote but it’s pretty close to the quote. Basically said oh it’s not going to be right until I rest this summer,”.

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Doncic did in fact state that his ongoing battle with the knee injury will likely continue throughout the playoffs. It purely depends on his own pain tolerance and persistence to roll through the gross pain. It has had a severe impact on his shooting success so far. In the entire series against the Clippers, Luka Doncic only shot 23.9% from the perimeter. Over everything, he might not have the luxury of resting in the offseason due to Slovenia’s aspirations of qualifying for the Paris Olympics as pointed out by Windhorst.

When coming up against a consistently stellar offense such as the Thunder, who led the league in three-point percentage, it could spell the demise of the optimistic Mavericks. In more news, the travelling team will also be without Maxi Kleber impacting their size advantage over the OKC Thunder.

The outcome of this series mostly depends on how well can Luka Doncic play while having an internal battle with the prevalent knee pain. Do you think he can overcome the suffering or will it backfire for Dallas?