Calf injury slows down Mavs star

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic will miss a week of pre-season preparation after suffering a left calf contusion during a workout, the National Basketball Association (NBA) team said on Wednesday.

The Mavs said the Slovenian star took a knock while training and would be reevaluated in a week.

Dallas will open its pre-season campaign on Monday with a home game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

They will start the regular season against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on 24 October, and ESPN reported that Doncic is expected to be fit by then.

Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game last season as he helped the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, where they fell to the Boston Celtics.

As training camp began this week, Doncic, heading into his seventh season with the Mavs, said the aim this season is to go one better.

“Championship, that’s the goal,” he said in comments posted on the team’s website.

The Mavericks hope the free agency acquisition of Klay Thompson, a four-time champion with the Golden State Warriors and one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, can help them go all the way.

“That’s why I’m here,” Thompson told reporters on Tuesday as the Mavs opened training camp in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“That’s the goal of this team this season is to obviously win a championship. But with my experience you’ve got to take it week by week. Right now, my goal in the present is just to have an amazing training camp.”