What is thoracic contusion? Luka Doncic's injury ahead of 2024 NBA Finals Game 3 explored

The injuries have been piling up for Luka Doncic this postseason. While the Mavericks star has been dealing with a knee sprain and ankle soreness throughout the postseason, the latest injury has some fans concerned. Prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, Doncic was listed on the Mavericks' injury report as questionable with a thoracic contusion.

MyHealth Alberta describes the injury as a bruise of the chest, caused by a direct blow to the area. This could be from a fall, a car accident, bicycle crash, or in the case of Luka Doncic, a blow directly to the chest.

Doncic sustained the injury during Game 1, although it's unclear at what point he did so. Currently, the leading theory according to coach Jason Kidd is that Doncic was hit in the chest while attempting to take a charge or dive for a loose ball.

Despite the fact that he had repeatedly been listed as probable to play in previous games in the postseason, with the new injury, Luka Doncic was dubbed questionable to play. Although he suited up and dropped a triple-double in the team's Game 2 loss, a report from ESPN shed further light on the situation.

According to Tim MacMahon, the MVP candidate received an injection in his chest to numb the area prior to Game 2, allowing him to play pain-free. The injection seemingly came after Doncic appeared to be in pain during the Mavericks' Game 2 warmup, as seen below.

Looking at Luka Doncic's status for Game 3 of the NBA Finals

Although Luka Doncic has been dealing with a slew of injuries throughout the postseason, he has made it clear that he will continue to play. Given how much the painkilling injection helped the Slovenian star for Game 2, the expectation is that he will be able to play Game 3.

While speaking to media members on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's Game 3 in Dallas, Doncic played his cards close to the vest. Without going into detail about the injury, he simply let those in attendance know that he feels good and is ready to go:

“I feel good I don’t want to give any more details, but I feel good.”

Ahead of Game 3, the Mavericks have already submitted their injury report to NBA.com, which is updated every hour. As of the 11:30 a.m. (EDT) report, Doncic is listed as probable to play with the thoracic contusion.

Interestingly enough, the thoracic contusion is the only injury listed for the Mavericks star, with his previous knee and ankle problems not appearing on the report.

Game 3 is set to tip off from Dallas at 5:30 PM Pacific (8:30 PM Eastern) on both ABC and ESPN.