Luka Doncic and Trey Burke added to COVID-19 protocol list, bringing Mavericks’ total to six – The Dallas Morning News

Just when fans probably thought the Mavericks’ coronavirus predicament couldn’t worsen, it did, considerably, with Wednesday afternoon’s news that face-of-the-franchise Luka Doncic entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Thursday night’s home game against reigning NBA champion Milwaukee was supposed to mark Doncic’s return from a five-game ankle-injury absence, but now he’ll be further idled — until he twice tests negative for the coronavirus or up to 10 days, whichever comes first.

In normal times, news that a franchise superstar could miss numerous games would be considered a bombshell bulletin, but not so in the COVID-19 era, in which more than a fourth of the NBA’s 510 players have entered health and safety protocols in December alone.

While announcing that Doncic won’t play Thursday, the Mavericks said guard Trey Burke, who unlike Doncic is unvaccinated from COVID-19, also entered protocols. That raises the franchise’s list of protocol-sidelined players to six. So far.

The Mavericks have signed three replacement players through the league’s pandemic hardship allowance, and a source said three more will be added to the roster as soon as Thursday.

“It’s pretty crazy,” guard Jalen Brunson said of the COVID chaos leaguewide. “I don’t even know what you can do but just try and stay safe.

“Obviously we have a job to do as basketball players to go out there and play. I think the best part about it is [Mavericks teammates in protocols] are OK. And we’re going to pray for a speedy recovery, not just for them but around the league and around the world. We’ve just got to get through this time.”

It’s possible that Doncic could register two negative coronavirus tests and return within a few days, but his status for Dallas’ scheduled Christmas night game at Utah is in significant jeopardy.

That would be a blow not only to the Mavericks, but the NBA and its traditional marquee five-game Christmas lineup.

Fellow stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving also are in COVID protocol, all potential chunks of coal in the league’s stocking.

For the 15-15 Mavericks, national TV ratings are low on the concern list. The Utah game is the start of a season-longest five-game, nine-day trip.

A further slide down the Western Conference standings — Dallas is eighth — looms possible, as does further slippage in Doncic’s season-gone-badly, a year that began with him signing a five-year, $207 million extension and NBA Most Valuable Player predictions.

Despite reporting to training camp noticeably heavier after taking a post-Olympic break, Doncic is averaging 25.6 points, 8.5 assists and 8.0 rebounds.

He played in Dallas’ first 13 games, at which time the Mavericks were 9-4. Since then, however, he has missed nine of the last 17 games, with Dallas stumbling at 6-11.

Before Tuesday’s home victory over Minnesota, coach Jason Kidd expressed optimism about Doncic’s ankle recovery and improved conditioning.

“The first thing is his ankle, working on that. And then … his conditioning,” Kidd said. “But with the way things are right now, with very little practice time, you know, he’s doing the best that he can. Hopefully we get him back for Thursday. So that means things are going well.”

Then came Wednesday’s news, though it remains to be seen how much of a setback it might be.

Fans took note during Tuesday’s game that Doncic was on the bench in street clothes despite Kidd saying before the game that Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis and other injured players would be sent home rather than risk potential COVID exposure.

“They won’t be on the bench,” Kidd said. “We’re trying to do the best we can to stay away from each other. But also at the same time we have a job to do and that’s to go out there and find a way to win.”

Doncic took a seat on the bench shortly after tip-off, while Porzingis and other injured players did not.

The reality is that Doncic almost certainly was exposed to the virus before Tuesday night. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who believe they have been exposed to COVID-19 wait three to five days before getting tested because doing so before then greatly increases chances for a false result.

In hindsight, though, sitting on the bench perhaps exposed teammates to the virus. But as Kidd noted, the virus is spreading so fast through the NBA that teams are virtually powerless to stop it.

“We could [even] have someone leave a game because a test [comes out] positive,” Kidd said. “And so you’ve just got to adapt.”

On Wednesday, though, doing so became a lot more challenging.

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