Luka Doncic Injury Update: Mavericks preparing for superstar to miss extended time

This is not the Christmas gift that Mavericks fans — or NBA fans at large — wanted to receive today. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic left Wednesday's game with a calf strain, and ESPN insider Shams Charania reported that Doncic "left the game on crutches" after a calf strain during the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Doncic did not return to the game, and now the Mavericks are "bracing" to be without Doncic for a while, Charania also said. He will undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine how severe this injury is.

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Luka Doncic has been beaten up this season

Luka played 70 games last season, the second-most he's played in a season in his career. He's already missed eight games this year, and it appears like he's slated to miss more with this calf strain. Doncic has dealt with a wrist injury, a knee injury, a heel injury and now a calf injury so far in 2024-25.

His production was a little slow (for his standards) to start the season, but Doncic had been playing himself back into an elite player as of late. He scored 14 points in 16 minutes on Christmas day before leaving with the injury.

With Doncic potentially out for an extended period, the Mavs will need the "other" guys on the team to step up. Quentin Grimes, Jaden Hardy and Naji Marshall will see large upticks in playing time. Dallas has a lot of talent throughout its roster, so things won't get awful for the reigning NBA runners-up —but Doncic makes everything go on this team. His absence will be felt instantly.

Dallas plays Phoenix on Friday and Portland on Saturday.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.