Is Luka Doncic playing tonight against San Antonio Spurs? Latest on All-Star's status for season opener (Oct. 24)

Luka Doncic will play on Thursday night in the Dallas Mavericks' season opener against the San Antonio Spurs. He missed the entire preseason with a calf injury he sustained during training camp. The Mavericks held Doncic out of the preseason so that he could be ready for the season.

It will be the first time the NBA world will see him in action next to the Mavericks' marquee free-agency addition, Klay Thompson. It looks like a seamless fit, but only time will tell if Dallas made the right decision to acquire the former NBA champion.

A relatively easy game to begin their season was exactly what the Mavericks needed to test out their new-look roster with Thompson and Naji Marshall. Dallas will hope Doncic hasn't lost a step after his brief injury break in his first game since July when he represented Slovenia at the Olympic qualifiers.

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Luka Doncic stats vs. San Antonio Spurs

Doncic has averaged 29.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists against the Spurs in 20 career games. He was exceptional in their season series last year, tallying 29.3 ppg, 11.0 rpg and 11.0 apg. The Mavericks swept their division rivals behind Doncic's heroics in their season series.

He began his 2023-24 season with a 33-point triple-double against the same opponent on Oct. 25, 2023, leading the Mavericks to a 126-119 season-opening win. Doncic will be expected to replicate that and begin Dallas' year on a positive note.

The Spurs are slightly better than last year, though. They have surrounded Victor Wembanyama with veterans like Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes. The Mavericks remain the favorites to win, but it could be a challenging game if the Spurs execute their plans early.

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Luka Doncic adding to his game ahead of new season

Luka Doncic is looking to upgrade his already exquisite game ahead of the new season. According to Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, his star player is making significant efforts toward improving his defense and learning to play off the ball.

"He's made a conscious effort on the defensive end. He's doing that at a high level," Kidd said on Tuesday (h/t Joey Mistretta).

"To be able to get to the basket, to be able to find his teammates and to be able to play off the ball has been at a high for him here at the practices that he's been able to participate in," Kidd added.

Those were two of Luka Doncic's biggest weaknesses last year as the Mavericks made their first NBA finals trip since 2011. He showed spurts of his defensive potential, but it wasn't consistent. Doncic will hope to improve on those aspects and help Dallas to attain its ultimate goal.