VIDEO: Watch Luka Doncic Leave the Court With Calf Injury in Mavericks Loss to Wolves

Christmas Day didn’t bring the gifts that the Dallas fans were expecting this year, as their team lost to Minnesota this Wednesday at the American Airlines Center. Things got even worse when star Luka Doncic exited the game late in the second quarter due to a left calf strain, as now they all await for the MRI to know how bad it really is. 

The Slovenian guard was holding up a fierce fight against the Wolves until he left the court in their 105-99 defeat. As the Mavericks started out the third quarter without their best player, and suddenly found themselves trailing by 28 points.

Nevertheless, the team almost produced a late-comeback in the final minute, but Kyrie Irving missed a three-point attempt and their rivals finally sunk the final bucket of the match.

Luka Doncic went back to the locker room after an apparent injury on this play. pic.twitter.com/R8xlcLdeHQ

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 25, 2024

“It’s kind of deflating,” said Klay Thompson, who moved for fifth on the career 3-point list that evening. “We have such a deep roster, and that’s why we can withstand this time without him. We obviously are not the same without Luka in the lineup. We are going to do everything we can to go on a run here without him.”

After the contest, coach Jason Kidd gave no updates on Luka’s situation, after the star stopped running during a play on offense, and then reached immediately toward his lower legs. The player didn’t move until his squad called a timeout, and then he limped off with 2 minutes remaining in the first half.

This was the second game back for the five-time All-Star after he had missed two outings with a left heel contusion. The European athlete had already scored 14 points  in 16 minutes against Minnesota, as he’s been averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per match this current campaign.

“I think this is a group that can win,” Kidd said about his team, who are 6-2 without Doncic this season. “They believe that. And they’ve shown that. The record speaks for itself. But we also need him. He’s just been hit with some injuries here of late. Hopefully this one isn’t that serious. But we do need him if we want to win a championship.”