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The Dallas Mavericks downgraded Luka Doncic to questionable ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals just six hours prior to tipoff on Sunday.
According to the Mavs injury report, Doncic is dealing with a thoracic contusion.
What is a thoracic contusion?
A thoracic contusion or chest contusion, can be caused by a fall or direct blow to the chest, according to a handout from Healthwise.
The handout states that a forceful hit to the chest can injure the heart or blood vessels in the chest, lungs, airway, liver or spleen. All of which will cause pain stemming from muscles, cartilage or ribs.
Healthwise states that deep breathing, coughing or sneezing can increase pain.
What does this mean for Luka?
Jason Kidd told reporters pregame that Luka Doncic’s thoracic contusion happened either taking a charge or diving for a loose ball. Depending on the significance of the thoracic contusion, this could lead to gritty performance from Doncic as it was announced that he will play Game 2.
As mentioned in the injury breakdown, just breathing deeply can increase pain -- not to mention continuous bumping into defenders while playing a large number of minutes in a basketball game.
So, we will want to keep an eye on Doncic throughout Sunday's contest to see if the injury affects any of his movements.
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