Dallas (AP) According to a person with knowledge of the situation, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will miss roughly a month before undergoing another evaluation due to a calf injury he experienced in a Christmas Day loss to Minnesota, the report claimed on Friday.
On condition of anonymity because the injury’s specifics have not been made public, the source told The Associated Press that Doncic had an MRI on his strained left calf.
The five-time All-NBA player will almost certainly be disqualified from consideration for that and other key honors, such as MVP, due to the length of the absence.
Late in the second quarter of Wednesday’s 105-99 loss to the Timberwolves, Doncic pulled up lame while executing an offensive play. He has already missed eight games, including five due to an injured right wrist.
After the Mavericks took a timeout, the 25-year-old hobbled to the locker room and never made it to the defensive end.
The Mavericks, the reigning Western Conference champions, begin their 17-game schedule at Phoenix on Friday night. Doncic averaged 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 28.1 points per game going into Friday, ranking sixth in the NBA in terms of scoring.
The maximum of 15 games that players can miss to still be eligible for major prizes would be greatly exceeded by a 25-game absence. Prior to the implementation of the participation requirement, Doncic had missed the most games in a season (17 in 2021–2022).
Doncic sustained the injury during his second game back after missing two due to a contusion in his left heel. Additionally, he has a history of left calf problems. Doncic missed the first three games of the 2022 playoffs and most of the preceding two preseasons.
Without Doncic, the Mavericks are 6-2 this season and currently sit in fourth place in the Western Conference. Kyrie Irving, a fellow backcourt standout who averages 24 points per game while Doncic is benched, is mostly to blame for that.
In the offseason, Dallas also acquired Golden State’s four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson, whose 3-point shooting ability helps them get by without Doncic.
Spencer Dinwiddie, who returned to Dallas in the offseason and will play more minutes while the Slovenian star sits, was a key player in the unexpected 2022 run to the West finals that began without Doncic.
In each of the first four games that Doncic missed due to a sprained wrist, Naji Marshall, another offseason addition, scored at least 20 points. Marshall has played the last four games after being absent four times in a five-game run due to illness.
___
https://apnews.com/hub/nba is the AP NBA.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
