PARIS, France (AFP) — Slovenian National Basketball Association (NBA) star Luka Doncic has been ruled out for at least a month with a calf injury suffered while playing for the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, US media reports said.
Broadcaster ESPN said Doncic’s left calf injury would be reassessed “in a month.”
Doncic, who is averaging 28 points per game this season, would miss at least 15 games, long enough to disqualify the five-time All-NBA player from consideration for that and other major awards, including Most Valuable Player.
Prior to that, Doncic had already missed eight games, including five because of a sprained right wrist. The most games he missed in a season is 17 in 2021-22.
This time, Doncic went off in the second quarter of Dallas’ 99-105 Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 25-year-old never made it to the defensive end and limped his way to the locker room as the Mavericks called a timeout.
The Mavericks currently sit fourth in the Western Conference with a 19-11 win-loss record. They are 6-2 without Doncic this season, thanks to the strong performance of Kyrie Irving, who has been averaging 24 points whenever Doncic sits out.
Dallas also added four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson from the Golden State Warriors in the off-season, and his three-point threat makes it easier to survive without Doncic.
Spencer Dinwiddie, who played an important role in the surprising 2022 run to the West finals, returned to Dallas in the off-season and will see an increased role while Doncic sits out.