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Tim MacMahon, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic declared himself ready for Wednesday’s pivotal Game 5 against the LA Clippers but acknowledged that he would “probably not” be playing on his sprained right knee if this were the regular season.
“Not good,” Doncic said when asked how his knee feels. “Could be way better, but it is what it is.”
Doncic, who injured the knee in the first quarter of Game 3, said he hasn’t made any explosive movements since playing 45 minutes in Sunday’s Game 4 loss. He said he received “a lot of treatment” over the past two days, when his basketball activity was limited to primarily shooting.
Doncic has also been dealing with an illness for several days. He was coughing and congested at Wednesday morning’s shootaround.
“I’m fine,” Doncic said. “I’ll be ready for this game.”
Doncic has struggled by his MVP-candidate standards in the first-round series, which is even entering Game 5. He’s averaging 29.0 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game, but Doncic is shooting only 38.6% from the floor and 26.5% from 3-point range.
“I’ve been in this situation a lot,” Doncic said. “I’ve been playing through injuries a lot. So just go out there, have fun and do everything you can do for the team to win.”