Mavericks get Luka Doncic, Dante Exum updates before Suns clash

The Dallas Mavericks are mostly healthy heading into the second-half of the 2023-24 season. Dante Exum is the only player who was limited at practice on Wednesday, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd revealed.

“Exum did some work, non-contact so he’s going in the right direction,” Kidd said Wednesday. “Besides Exum, everybody participated, everybody looked good.”

Luka Doncic missed Tuesday’s practice as he received an extra day off following the NBA All-Star break. Doncic returned to practice Wednesday, though.

“Luka was back,” Kidd said. “As Doc said the players were in Cabo, he enjoyed his vacation so it’s good to have him back… He looked great, refreshed, and happy.”

The Mavs are currently preparing for a clash on Thursday against the Phoenix Suns. Having the majority of the roster healthy is a great step for Dallas. Injuries have played an unfortunate role throughout the 2023-24 season, so the goal is now to try to maintain their health moving forward.

Dallas also ended the first-half on a six-game winning streak. It will be interesting to see if they can recapture their momentum following the NBA All-Star break.

Mavericks looking to keep winning streak alive vs. Suns

“I think you talk about the energy and effort, those are the things that we can control,” Kidd said in reference to how Dallas can keep their momentum trending in a positive direction. “Understanding being healthy, the different sub-patterns can take place so we just have to be patient with that until we can get back into the rhythm and flow.

“Sometimes you don’t want a break to come when you’re on a win streak, but this is a way to start another win streak after the break. That starts tomorrow night.”

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have played especially well during the win streak. Dallas’ new acquisitions Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington Jr. have also stepped up in recent action. Tim Hardaway Jr. continues to make a case for Sixth Man of the Year, and he shared his thoughts on how the Mavs can keep playing well after the break.

“I think we recaptured (the momentum) so far with these two practices,” Hardaway said Wednesday. “Thankfully we came out healthy. You know, that’s been one of the spots of our season that we didn’t have a lot of guys, everybody’s been hurt a little bit here and there.

“But everybody’s healthy…. for the most part. Just happy to start this thing back up. We know we got a tough stretch to start right after break. It’s going to be a great test for us.”

Thursday’s game is going to be exciting. Dallas has a tremendous opportunity to make an important statement against the Suns. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM EST at the American Airlines Center.