Mavericks’ superstar Luka Doncic appears to be heading towards a return when Dallas heads to Utah as he is listed as questionable ahead of Thursday’s Game 3. Reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic, as well as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, say there’s optimism he will be back on the court in the next two games.Doncic, who was doubtful ahead of Games 1 and 2 after suffering a calf strain in the regular season finale, said at practice today that “If there’s no risk of injury, I’ll be out there.”The optimism from the ProBasketballDocs that Doncic would return this series earlier than expected appears to be bearing fruit. However, his statement that he will play when there’s no risk of re-injury doesn’t line up with a return in the next two games. When he does return Doncic wwill carry an SIC Health score of 73 because of the lingering nature of his calf strain and lack of appropriate time he’s had to recover.The 23-year-old is likely to be a liability on defense as he recovers from the strain and will still be well below 100%. As we detailed earlier this week, he will still be a productive offensive force as his playing style is centered on his vision and manipulation of players and space, not necessarily his dependence on athleticism.He will certainly still be at risk of aggravating the strain and it remains unclear when/if he will be 100% this postseason. Calf strains linger and can be aggravated by quick movements. Despite his comments, the Docs maintain that Doncic will play through the ailment and accept the risk of re-injury as he is not in danger of long-term consequences beyond the playoffs.The Mavericks are 7-point underdogs in Game 3 and the over/under is 210, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.