Luka Doncic talks injuries for first time: ‘Still painful’ but will return for Mavs-Clippers tonight

Editor’s note: This story has been updated.

LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic’s own injury update the morning before Mavericks-Clippers tipoff Tuesday was not a major revelation.

The one that came about an hour before the opening tip was.

That’s when the team announced Doncic will play Tuesday night in the Mavericks’ rematch against the Clippers, his first game back from missing three with left knee and ankle sprains.

In a rare post-shootaround interview with reporters Tuesday morning, Doncic said he was still “questionable” to play the final game of the Mavericks’ road trip. After he received more treatment later in the day, the team decided to activate him after he warmed up on the Staples Center court about 90 minutes before the start.

“I will do everything possible to try to play,” Doncic said after shootaround.

Doncic also offered insight on his exit from practice Monday that left his injury status in limbo and Mavericks fans concerned about potential re-aggravation.

In a 5-on-5 scrimmage at the end of the workout, Doncic left the court abruptly and shouted as he sat down on the bleachers. Doncic said Tuesday he had banged knees with a teammate during the pick-up game.

Doncic left practice then with ice wrapped with a bandage around his left knee, but said Tuesday morning in Staples Center that the collision didn’t add to the pain he’s still treating.

“It’s all right,” Doncic said. “Still painful.”

In the portion of the Mavericks’ Tuesday shootaround open to reporters, Doncic took shots from five mid-range and 3-point spots apiece, at one point swishing five consecutive 3-pointers from the right corner.

He talked with director of player health and performance Casey Smith at half-court before finishing the workout with free throws.

Then, Doncic spoke with reporters for the first time since he suffered the knee and ankle sprains in the last minute of the Mavericks’ Nov. 15 win over the Nuggets, when Denver’s Austin Rivers rolled up onto Doncic’s left leg.

Doncic has watched the Mavericks endure their first three-game losing streak of the season in his absence, but he said the defeats weren’t the most bothersome part of his last week.

“Even if we’re winning, I want to play,” Doncic said. “That’s why [it’s frustrating]. I want to play. It’s hard to be on the bench and watch. I’m way more nervous than playing, so I don’t really like it, so hopefully I’m back soon.”

A few questions later, Doncic continued: “I think we’ve played good, to be honest. Just I think some minutes — we talk about this, the whole team — we relax a little bit, and that costs us, I think, all games. But I think we played good every game.”

In the meantime, Doncic transferred his creative tendencies from the floor to his spot at the end of the bench.

He dubbed himself “the 10th coach” on the Mavericks’ staff because he’s watched each game intently from his seat next to close friend Boban Marjanovic and has been eager to offer teammates advice or answer questions during breaks in play.

At one point during Sunday’s loss to the Clippers, Doncic said Kristaps Porzingis asked him a question, and they talked about what Doncic was seeing from his corner of the court.

“I tell them what I see, what can make us better,” Doncic said. “I just try to help my teammates.”

Jason Kidd joked during his pregame press conference that Doncic wasn’t the last coach: “He’s probably, like, the first one.”

“An extra set of eyes, high basketball IQ, seeing what the defense or offense is doing,” Kidd said. “To be able to communicate with your teammates, that just shows a high level of caring and still participating and trying to help in any way possible to help us win. He does say things during timeouts or he’ll walk by and give some ideas of what we could do, and so it’s been helpful.

“Again, for a 22 year old to be able to do those things is pretty impressive. But he’s there at the end of the bench, he’s talking to his teammates, he’s trying to make the game easier for everybody.”

The 22-year-old All-Star, though, would much prefer to be helping with the ball in his hand.

In seven career games against the Clippers in Staples Center, Doncic has averaged 34.6 points per game and recorded two triple-doubles. He led the Mavericks to three road wins in the iconic venue last postseason and twice in the first-round series posted stat lines of 40-plus points and 14 assists.

Tuesday, however, marked Doncic’s last chance to officially play in Staples Center because Crypto.com will take over naming rights to the arena on Christmas.

“I don’t care about that,” Doncic said with a slight smile. “It’s a great place to play.”

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