Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic faced significant challenges leading up to and during Game 3 of the playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers. The 24-year-old finally revealed the reason why he felt sick with an upset stomach and chills on Thursday, affecting his performance on the court.
Doncic went through the Lakers’ shootaround on Friday morning, but he clearly wasn’t 100 percent. Even after a long nap that afternoon he was in really bad shape. In the terrible hours leading up to the game, Doncic fought off projectile vomiting. This only compounded his fitful night’s sleep on Thursday.
Even in his state, Doncic was determined to play. He made his return in Game 3. That performance was shockingly out of character for him. He ended that game with 17 points on 6-for-16 shooting and he added seven rebounds, eight assists and five turnovers. Doncic didn’t have an easy go in the opening period. He only mustered two points on 1-for-6 shooting, a perfect encapsulation of how his sickness hindered his play.
Given what we saw throughout the game, Doncic’s attitude really got people worried — both players and fans, too. During the second quarter, he furiously pulled the hood of his warmup jacket over his head to cover his face. This gesture underscored his apparent displeasure with how he was left feeling on the bench. He was a nine-point scorer in the second half, making 3 of 7 field-goal attempts. He pulled down five boards and handed out three assists, but that wasn’t enough to deliver a win for the Mavs.
I didn’t think he would be able to play in the second half,” said Dorian Finney-Smith, Doncic’s fellow Mavericks wing and close friend of Doncic. He stated, “I didn’t think he was going to come out [for the] second half,” noting that Doncic appeared pale and needed to hydrate more.
Luka Doncic had the flu, which LeBron James, the star player of the Lakers, recognized the importance of that to their success. “Obviously, with his illness, it impacts our team,” James said. He further emphasized Doncic’s importance to Dallas, remarking, “We understand what he brings to our team and what he’s done since the acquisition. It certainly felt like a major upset for our BoyZ.
The short turnaround between Games 3 and 4 makes things even tougher for Doncic. The Mavericks will face the Lakers again on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. local time. JJ Redick expressed hope that Doncic would recover in time for the next game, stating, “Hopefully, whatever’s going on, he’s feeling better on Sunday.”
Doncic needs to play better than he did in Game 3. This is in stark contrast to his impressive numbers over the first two games of the tournament, during which he averaged 34 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. His fight with illness obviously affected his ability to play. Yet this ongoing fight took a toll on his team’s strategy and mood in that key, playoff-intense duel.
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