Day: April 30, 2024

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is considered probable for Wednesday’s pivotal Game 5 against the LA Clippers due to a sprained right knee, coach Jason Kidd said.

Doncic, who was injured in the first quarter of Game 3, had been listed as questionable for Game 4 due to right knee soreness.

Doncic did “everything” during the Mavs’ practice Tuesday, Kidd said. Doncic, who had an extensive kinetic tape job on his right knee, was not made available to the media.

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He played 45 minutes but struggled during the Mavs’ loss in Game 4 on Sunday. Doncic had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists but was only 10-of-24 from the floor (1-of-8 from 3-point range) and was repeatedly exploited defensively.

Doncic acknowledged that his knee stiffness affected his mobility.

“It’s obviously hurting, but it’s not an excuse, man,” Doncic said after receiving treatment for two hours postgame.

Mavs reserve guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who has not played since spraining his ankle in the first half of Game 2, suffered a setback during a scrimmage after practice.

“He’ll be reevaluated to see how he feels,” said Kidd, who added that Hardaway would be listed as questionable for Game 5.

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch will undergo surgery to repair a right patellar tendon Wednesday, and it remains unclear whether he’ll be able to open the franchise’s Western Conference semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets on the bench, sources told ESPN.

In the early stages of his rehabilitation, Finch will be required to keep right leg immobilized in a brace. If Finch isn’t able to park on the sidelines to start the series, assistant Micah Nori will coach Game 1 on Saturday, with Finch likely communicating to the bench from the locker room, sources said.

Barring complications from the procedure Wednesday, Finch — who finished third in the NBA’s Coach of the Year voting — should be able to travel to Denver with the team Friday, sources said.

Chris Finch collided with Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. in the final moments of a Game 4 victory over the Suns on Sunday. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Nuggets are the NBA’s defending champions and the No. 2 seed in the West; the Timberwolves are the third seed.

Finch suffered the injury in the final moments of a Game 4 victory Sunday over the Phoenix Suns after Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. collided with his coach after getting bumped dribbling down the sideline.

Finch led the Timberwolves to their best regular-season record (56-26) and first playoff series victory in 20 years. The Timberwolves have made the playoffs in each of Finch’s first three seasons.

Nori has spent three seasons with Finch in Minnesota after stops with the Detroit Pistons, Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors.

NEW YORK — Both Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre Jr. missed shootaround for the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday ahead of Game 5 of their first-round series against the New York Knicks.

Embiid missed it with a migraine, while Oubre had an illness. Embiid, who was already questionable with left knee injury management, remains so, while Oubre was put on the injury report as probable to play.

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Philadelphia enters Game 5 trailing 3-1 in this best-of-seven series, and on the verge of being eliminated in the first two rounds of the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season, despite being outscored by a total of four points over the first four games of the series, thanks in part to blowing a 5-point lead in the final 30 seconds of Game 2 here last week.

Embiid, who is less than a month into his return from a procedure on the lateral meniscus in his left knee, is averaging 35 points, 9 rebounds and 5.5 assists through the first four games, while Oubre has been one of the primary defenders on Knicks star Jalen Brunson.