Luka Dončić upgraded to probable for Mavericks-Warriors after 5-game absence

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The Dallas Mavericks are getting a big boost as they enter the homestretch of the regular season and seek a playoff berth.

Luka Dončić has been upgraded to probable for Wednesday's game against the Golden State Warriors, making it likely that he returns to the lineup. The Mavericks' star guard has missed the previous five games due to a left thigh strain. 

Dončić's return to the lineup comes at a pivotal point for the Mavericks. At 36-36, they sit in eighth place in the Western Conference standings. While they're only a game back of the Warriors for sixth place, which would help them avoid the play-in tournament, they're also just a game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, who are the first team on the outside looking in at the play-in teams. 

Dončić is second in the league in scoring this season, scoring 33 points per game, and has added 8.6 rebounds and eight assists per game. Despite Dončić's dominance though, the first handful of games with his new co-star, Kyrie Irving, hasn't gone too well. They're 4-6 in the 10 games they've played together so far.

Still, Dončić's return is welcome news to Dallas. The Mavericks have gone 5-10 without Dončić this season and went 2-3 in this recent stretch without him. 

Some of the teams around the Mavericks in the standings are getting some key players back from injury, too. Karl-Anthony Towns is set to return for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are a half-game back of the Mavericks in the standings, after missing the last 51 games. LeBron James' right foot tendon injury will also be reevaluated sometime this week. 

Irving remains questionable for Wednesday's tilt, which is a rematch of last season's Western Conference finals.

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