Mavericks fans held their breath as star guard Luka Doncic rolled his ankle and limped off the court in the final minute of Monday night’s win over the Nuggets.
A day later, fans may have a reason to exhale, at least a little bit.
The Athletic reported Tuesday that tests on Doncic’s left ankle and knee showed no damage and that the team will continue to evaluate him daily. ESPN also reported that Doncic’s ankle injury is “not too serious,” but that he will likely miss some time.
The Mavs are about to begin a four-game road trip, starting with two straight games in Phoenix on Wednesday and Friday, followed by two more against the Los Angeles Clippers (Sunday and Tuesday).
Marc Stein reports that Doncic is expected to miss Wednesday’s game against the Suns. The Dallas Morning News’ Callie Caplan reports that Doncic was on the Mavs’ plane to Phoenix and will remain with the team through the four-game road trip, even if he does not play.
Less than a half-hour later, coach Jason Kidd didn’t give a definitive update on Doncic, other than to say the team would evaluate him Tuesday before their flight to Phoenix.
Doncic didn’t talk with reporters after the game while receiving treatment on his ankle, and the Mavericks didn’t practice Tuesday morning.
Doncic has dealt with ankle injuries before.
He missed 11 regular-season games in 2019-20 because of right ankle sprains and he played through a left ankle sprain during the 2020 playoffs in the NBA bubble.
Though Doncic has at times walked gingerly or shaken off pain after taking contact during live action, he’s played at least 33 minutes in all but one of the Mavericks’ 13 games so far this season.
