After collapsing in the Dallas Mavericks’ season finale game on Sunday against the Spurs, Luka Dončić has suffered a calf injury, an MRI has confirmed.
The NBA All-Star received an MRI yesterday which revealed that he had suffered a left calf strain during the game. Currently, no timetable for his return has been set, but he notably has not yet been ruled out for the Mavs’ Game 1 against the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
“If he’s able to go out and put on his shoes, then he’s going to go,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said earlier today. “If he can’t, we’re not going to put him in a situation to jeopardize it and make things worse.”
Dončić’s injury serves as a heavy blow to the Mavericks and their playoff chances. The Mavs finished the regular season in 4th place in the Western Conference, and are set to play the Jazz on Saturday, as mentioned. If Dončić is not able to return for that game, former Brooklyn Net Spencer Dinwiddie will start in his place.
There’s initial optimism that Dallas star Luka Doncic hasn’t suffered a significant injury, source tells ESPN. Team is calling it a strained left calf.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2022
“I know my usage would be up, but it’s a team effort,” Dinwiddie said. “I don’t expect to shoulder the load completely.”
With a little over two minutes to go in the third quarter of Sunday’s game (2:24 to be exact), Dončić appeared to grab his calf in pain, and called a timeout. Despite the Mavs still going on to win that game 130-120, at that point it was clear something was wrong with Dončić.
Dončić has had quite an impressive 2021-22 season with the Mavs, averaging 28 points, 9 rebounds, and almost 9 assists per game. Now, all of Mavericks faithful wish him a speedy recovery so he can join the team once again, and push the Mavs into a deep playoff run.
What do you think of Dončić’s injury? Do you think he will return soon? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
