Why is Luka Doncic not playing tonight against Warriors? Latest injury update for Mavericks guard (April 5)

The NBA season is nearing its conclusion, and the Dallas Mavericks will be without Luka Doncic tonight as they play against the Golden State Warriors. Tonight's game marks the fourth meeting between the two Western Conference teams and will be their final. However, the Mavs will have to play with a short-handed group.

Doncic has been playing like an MVP this season, leading the team to fifth place in the conference standings. The five-time All-Star has played 67 games this season, averaging 33.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists. In the updated MVP ladder on NBA.com, the Slovenian ranks second.

Tonight, however, he will miss the game as he's listed out due to knee soreness. This will be the 10th game of the season that Doncic will miss. Despite the games missed, he's still qualified to earn regular-season awards.

According to sources, the Mavs are hopeful to have him back in the starting lineup on March 7 when they play the Houston Rockets.

The last time the Mavs played against the Warriors was on April 2, which ended in a 104-100 loss. Doncic played 39 minutes, posting 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. He made five 3-pointers in 11 attempts. However, his efforts weren't enough to lead Dallas to a win against Steph Curry and Co.

Other players for the Mavs who are on the injury report are Maxi Kleber (back, questionable), Dereck Lively II (knee, out) and Josh Green (knee, out).

For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II are all listed as questionable. Croatian big man Dario Saric remains out of the team.

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What are Luka Doncic's stats vs the Warriors this season?

Luka Doncic has played all three games against the Warriors this season. In that span, the young star has averaged 30 points, 7.7 assists and 10 rebounds. Doncic's best game against Golden State during this year's campaign happened on Dec. 30, 2023.

The four-time All-NBA player had 39 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. His performance led to a win and gave Dallas a headstart to lead the four-game season series.

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When will Luka Doncic return?

The Mavs have not assured fans of Doncic's return to the lineup. However, given that he suffered a minor injury, there's a possibility that his absence will only last for tonight.

Mavs head coach Jason Kidd talked about Doncic's potential return as their season is close to a conclusion.

"[His injury] shouldn't be long term, so we'll see," Kidd said.

Kyrie Irving will take over for the team and do most of the heavy lifting while Doncic is out.