Despite having knee and ankle problems, Mavericks star Luka Doncic will be available for Game 3 against the Thunder.

The Dallas Mavericks have declared that Luka Doncic, their star player, will be available to play in Saturday afternoon’s Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Doncic has been out for the postseason due to injuries to his ankle and knee.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper (left ankle sprain) and Maxi Kleber (right shoulder AC separation) of the Mavericks are still out.

In Game 3 of the Mavericks’ first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Doncic sprained his knee, and he is currently wearing a large brace. Then, on Thursday, during Dallas’ victory in Game 2, he tangled with rookie Carson Wallace of Oklahoma City and injured his ankle.

“He simply trod on my foot, nothing major,” Doncic stated at the news conference following the game. “Nothing major; I know he didn’t do it on purpose. All we could think of was a foul. On that one, other people would receive a foul call.”

After the ankle injury, Doncic continued to play, and despite not being able to move very well, he made some clutch shots in the closing minutes to help the Mavericks win 119-110 and tie the series at one. His final stats were 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 29 points.

The Mavericks have an opportunity to grab the series lead in Game 3 with Doncic on the court. But nothing about his sheer presence assures you of anything. The Dallas star’s postseason hasn’t gone as planned.

Despite his continued impressive stats in the postseason (28.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game), Doncic’s knee injury has kept him from playing like his typical self. This postseason has been by far his least productive, shooting 40.9% from the field. The Game 2 victory over the Thunder marked just the second time in his last eight games that he shot above 50%.

Even with some subpar shooting from their finest player, the Mavericks managed to overcome the dysfunctional Clippers, but the Thunder pose a more formidable opponent. For Dallas to make it to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years, Doncic must play at the highest level.