What happened to Luka Doncic? Knee injury trouble examined as Mavericks battle Clippers

Luka Doncic sustained a knee injury in the first half of the Dallas Mavericks' Game 3 against the LA Clippers. Doncic appeared to get hit in the back of his knee on a drive by Russell Westbrook which caused him to exit the game and head to the locker room. Doncic looked in pain and was visibly in discomfort as he limped off the floor.

Doncic entered the playoffs healthy, but this could be a significant issue considering his reaction. The Mavericks tied the series 1-1, it will get difficult to sustain it without the NBA MVP candidate.

Doncic returned to the game within minutes but seemingly wasn't 100% healthy. He started the game shooting 1 for 4. When Doncic returned, he got stripped on the first play by Westbrook.

However, Doncic made a couple of plays on both ends shortly to extend the Mavericks lead. He added eight quick points with two assists after knocking two 3s as Dallas overturned a 23-18 first-quarter deficit.

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Luka Doncic knee injury something to monitor for rest of Game 3 amid physical battle with Clippers

The Mavericks-Clippers contest has been highly intense and physical. Luka Doncic, in particular, has had to sustain that physicality against his primary defenders. That's seemingly been the only way to limit his impact after the Slovenian produced 32.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists in the first two games.

He's on pace to grab another 30-piece, but the first-half knee injury will be something to monitor, especially with Doncic having to put up a solid shift defensively. It was one of the key reasons why the Mavericks tied the series 1-1 with a 96-93 win in Game 2.

Doncic held the Clippers to 2 of 17 as a primary defender sustaining his effort for 48 minutes.

Editor's note: This is a developing story, stay tuned for more updates.