BREAKING: Mavs Plan For Luka Doncic Return in Game 4 vs. Jazz

The Dallas Mavericks, despite being without superstar Luka Doncic in their first-round playoff series so far due to a calf strain, have managed to stay competitive with the Utah Jazz. After losing a closely-contested Game 1, Jalen Brunson exploded for 41 points in Game 2 to tie the series at 1-1 as the scene shifts to Salt Lake City.

Things are about to change in a big way, though, as Doncic is set to officially make his series debut in Game 4, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.

In three games played against the Jazz in the regular season, Doncic averaged 30 points, 11 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from deep and 80 percent from the free-throw like. The Mavs were 2-1 vs. the Jazz in those games.

As good as Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie have been at penetrating Utah’s defense and getting wide-open looks for their teammates, adding Doncic back into the mix only enhances the Mavs’ chances of pulling off a series win — especially if Brunson is willing to let it fly from deep like he did in Game 2.

When you add in Maxi Kleber’s recent confidence boost (he scored 25 points on 8-11 from deep in Game 2) and Dorian Finney-Smith’s continued stellar defense on Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, all things appear to be trending in a favorable direction for the Mavericks.

That being said, though, Doncic will now have to do something that he’s never done in his four-year career so far if the Mavs are going to win their first playoff series since the 2011 NBA Finals: win a game in Utah.

The Mavs have one beat the Jazz in Utah one time in the last six years, and that came in Jan. 2020 as Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way with Doncic out due to an ankle injury.