Luka Doncic will be "questionable" to play Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said after practice Monday.
The 20-year-old rookie suffered what Carlisle said was a "mild knee strain" Sunday night during a 94-93 loss to the Houston Rockets. Doncic said after the game he felt a "pop" after securing an uncontested rebound with about four minutes left.
Doncic didn't miss time during the remainder of the game, including a rushed final possession when he drew triple-team defensive coverage and had to pass out of a game-winning shot attempt.
"He did some light shooting and got a lot of treatment today," Carlisle said. "We won't know until tomorrow whether he's going to play. Questionable, you know, is a maybe."
While Doncic finished Sunday with his 17th double-double of the season, and a near-fifth triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, he shot just 5-for-16 from the floor and had a minus-5 rating.
Since the Feb. 7 trade deadline, when the Mavericks completed a roster evolution that likely benefits future playoff contention but included moving four 2018-19 starters in trades with the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings, Doncic has finished just one game with a positive rating.
The Mavericks have lost 11 of 13 games in that stretch.
The latest setback came Sunday, when Doncic drew heavy attention from the Rockets' defense in the final seconds and passed to Jalen Brunson, whose last-second, mid-range attempt to erase the one-point deficit was blocked by Chris Paul.
Carlisle didn't call a timeout prior to the possession, though Doncic said afterward he would've preferred a set plan, and the coach said the two discussed the sequence Monday.
"It's one of those situations where there's a split second where if the ball moves at the right time, you're going to be a really good look," Carlisle said. "It didn't work out, but it's an opportunity for us to learn from."
