Luka Doncic did not enjoy his Wednesday. The Mavericks star was on the losing end of a 113-106 scoreline and was 4-14 from the field and 1-5 for three. He didn’t look like the best version of himself during the entire game and couldn’t cope with Herbert Jones’s strong defensive display.
However, the defeat at the hands of Western Conference rivals New Orleans Pelicans could be the least of his worries. The Slovenian guard left the game in the third quarter with a thigh injury, and worryingly for Mavericks’ fans, didn’t return. Doncic has had problems for days, but he obviously aggravated the injury during the Pelicans game.
An MRI Will Reveal the Seriousness of the Injury
Doncic said that they would know the extent of the injury on Thursday when he was scheduled to do an MRI. Until then, the player added, it was “just ice and therapy.” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was also hopeful that Doncic’s problem wasn’t “something serious.”
The Mavericks have two days off after playing the Pelicans, so the hope is that Doncic would return sooner rather than later. However, with the Dallas team 3-7 in the last 10 games, any amount of time spent on the sidelines for the four-time All-Star player is a cause for worry.
Reaction: Doncic Didn’t Need to Play
Many people on social media wondered why Doncic, who didn’t look right during the game, even suited up for the Pelicans duel. They pointed to the fact that there was no particular play in which Doncic aggravated the injury. In other words, he had the problem even before the game.
When reporters asked him to describe what he was feeling, Doncic said that it wasn’t good, admitting that he had been carrying the problem “for a week, maybe more.” The issue culminated in the third quarter of the Pelicans game when he could “barely even run.”
Doncic added that he couldn’t push off his leg and that it was hardest on his jump shots when he needed both legs to push himself off the ground.
Interestingly, the Mavericks, who were trailing by as many as 19 points while Doncic was playing, reduced the deficit to only 3 points in the fourth quarter when Luka was on the bench.
