Luka Dončić's calf strain casts cloud over Mavs' playoff hopes
The Dallas Mavericks could be entering the NBA playoffs on life support.
In their regular-season finale against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night, Mavericks' All-Star guard Luka Dončić suffered a lower leg injury, casting a cloud of doubt over his availability as they head into the playoffs.
Dončić left Dallas’ 130-120 victory Sunday night with 2:24 remaining in the third quarter, shortly after pulling up and stopping when he turned to run to the defensive end. He called for the medical staff as he reached for the calf, and quickly went to the locker room after play was stopped.
On Monday, MRI results confirmed that Dončić's injury was a calf strain, according to ESPN.
Dončić was enjoying what was certainly an All-NBA caliber season, averaging 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. He had already been selected to the NBA's All-NBA team each of the past two seasons, and he is likely to be selected again for this season.
Now, the Mavericks might have to enter their first-round matchup with the Utah Jazz with Dončić potentially missing time, or at less than 100%.
In his first two playoff appearances in 2020 and 2021, Dončić pushed the LA Clippers to six and seven games in each first-round series before ultimately falling short both times. In the process, he established himself as one of the premier playoff performers in the NBA, averaging 33.5 PPG, 9.5 APG and 8.8 RPG.
How quickly Dončić can heal up, and the severity of the calf strain could determine whether the Mavericks have a viable shot to make a run this postseason, or whether they are headed toward a third straight first-round exit.
The Asssociated Press contributed to this story.
