Luca: “I’ve never played with a guy like Kairi”

SACREMENTO. Luka Doncic probably wasn’t going to play both ends of two-game games against the Sacramento Kings, which is why he said Friday morning that he would likely miss the first set of two games.

The Mavericks superstar point guard suffered a bruised right heel last week and will miss his fourth game in a row.

“Probably not yet. I hope I can come back tomorrow,” Doncic said of his availability after the shootout with the Mavericks at the Golden 1 Center. “It still hurts. Did a pickup yesterday. But every day it gets better. Hopefully tomorrow.”

The injury occurred on February 2 against New Orleans when Doncic fell awkwardly backwards after the defense met him as he was moving towards the rim. He said he got a bit lucky after that.

“I was scared,” he said. “One second or two when I was in the air, it was a little scary. But it was nothing compared to what could have been.”

According to him, the pain subsides every day. But it never passes as quickly as the athlete hopes.

“Especially in the morning, when you wake up, not warmed up, walk in flip-flops, it certainly hurts, but it gets better,” he said. “(I just get) treatments, massages and ice, basically. Of course, time is the best cure.”

Doncic said he played his first matches on Thursday and the recovery is a bit different from the ankle sprain, which he has had a lot of.

Friday was his first interview with the media since the trade for Kyrie Irving (sending Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith), and Doncic was asked what his impression of Irving was.

“NBA Champion. Probably the best player in the ball game,” he said. “An amazing player and will be fun to play with.

“You know, he’s a great guy. Obviously, you could see in the first game what an amazing player he is. But first, I want to thank Spence and Dow. These are my guys. We will obviously miss them here. But Kairi is Kairi, man.

Doncic said he’s looking forward to getting on the court with Irving and it will be the first time in his NBA career that he’s had a real star player by his side.

According to him, things will be different and he will need to adapt his game.

“Probably a little,” Doncic said. “I have never played with a guy like Kairi. So it is clear that the work will continue. But I think everything will be fine.

“We both know how to play with the ball. For me, I think it will be a learning process, for sure. Except for my first season, I didn’t play without a ball. But with a guy like him, it will be very easy.”

But it will be a chance for him to maybe be fresher during the playoffs, without having to constantly be the one to kick the ball around and initiate the Mavericks attack.

“When you have really talented people, they will sort things out,” said general manager Nico Harrison. “It will make Luca’s job easier. Luka has had to work really hard, so Kairi is going to take some of that pressure off of him, so when he plays now, it will just be a freer game for him.”

Of course, the Mavericks weren’t the only Western Conference team to have great success.

When Phoenix traded for Kevin Durant, also from the Brooklyn Nets, it caused even more shock in the conference.

“Oh, I was surprised. Big move,” Doncic said, adding that Durant’s addition makes the Suns “probably the favorite in the West, right?”

Not that he was discounting his team’s chances.

“I believe in my team, that’s all,” he said. “Yes, of course (the Mavericks have a legitimate chance). I think so every season. You must believe.”

Twitter: @ESefko