The Dallas Mavericks have taken a 2-1 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder in their thrilling conference semifinal series thanks to the skill of Luka Doncic. The Slovenian talisman recently suffered an injury while protecting the stronghold, though, so the good times were cut short.

The 25-year-old later gave a condition update, making this the latest cause for concern for Mavs supporters.

Doncic occasionally found it difficult to walk around comfortably during the fight, which may have indicated the extent of his ailments. Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News caught him struggling to even move at his typical pace shortly after the match.

As a result, during the press conference following the game, his health became a major topic of conversation. Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban questioned him which body parts hurt the most in an attempt to identify his ailments.

Doncic answered back: “Everything,”

He also said that he injured his knee during the previous possession while making fun of the game officials for not raising the call in his favor. Consequently, the 6-foot-7-inch athlete emphasized the need for rest in his recuperation prior to Game 4. He said,

“[I landed] straight on my back. Right now that’s the least of my problems. That’s just a hit. I’ll get better in two days”.

This made Doncic’s suffering in the ongoing playoffs worse. Throughout the postseason, the 2019 ROTY had to manage an injured right knee, which severely limited his range of motion. This issue further worsened during Game 2 when the swelling knee began to bleed during the match.

Doncic persevered anyway, and in the end, he led the team to victory. In the aftermath of the match, he revealed his competitive spirit by refusing to give up on the match. During the briefing after the game, he said,

“I think today was one of the hardest games I had to play. I’m battling out there. I try and do my best to help [the] team win with just my mentality. Have a great start, and then the team’s going to follow me”.

It’s interesting to note that the story in Game 3 was similar. Doncic didn’t go off the court until his double-double had secured his team’s victory. The Slovenian showed off his skill despite battling injuries, scoring 22 points, pulling down 15 rebounds, and dishing out 5 assists in 40 minutes.

This highlights how crucial his contributions are to the Mavs’ chances of winning a title. Fans will therefore probably want to see him in the pivotal Game 4 versus OKC. Doncic appears to be trying to fulfill this desire as of right now, and his remarks give some optimism regarding his availability.