DALLAS MAVERICKS STAR LUKA DONČIĆ TO MISS ABOUT A MONTH WITH Calf INJURY
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Don
ić will be out for approximately a month before being re-evaluated for a calf injury sustained in a Christmas Day loss to Minnesota, a person with knowledge of the injury revealed on Friday. The 25-year-old underwent an MRI on his strained left calf, which has been confirmed as a calf strain.
Don
ić had already missed eight games, including five due to a sprained right wrist, when he pulled up lame while running a play on offense late in the second quarter of a 105-99 loss to the Timberwolves on Wednesday. The defending Western Conference champion Mavericks will play 17 games over the next month, starting on Friday night in Phoenix.
Don
ić entered Friday sixth in the NBA in scoring at 28.1 points per game, while averaging 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists. A 25-game absence would be well beyond the maximum of 15 allowed for players to remain eligible for major awards.
The Mavericks have shown resilience in the absence of Don
ić, going 6-2 without him this season. Fellow backcourt star Kyrie Irving has averaged 24 points when Don
ić sits, while newcomers Klay Thompson and Spencer Dinwiddie have also stepped up. The team is currently in fourth place in the Western Conference.