Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic picked up an ankle sprain during his team’s 99-95 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. Doncic exited during the first quarter of the game after stepping on the foot of a Suns defender while pivoting on his left ankle.
Following the incident, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd decided to call a timeout with 8:39 left on the clock in the first quarter of play. Doncic was subsequently substituted and escorted to the locker room by Casey Smith, the Mavericks’ director of player health and performance. Dallas announced at the end of the first period that Doncic would not be returning to the game.
Doncic later underwent an X-ray, the result of which came up negative. According to Kidd, Doncic remained “in good spirits” after the game. “He looked good, he looked fine,” Kidd confirmed before cautioning, “But we’ll see how he feels as we go forward.”
The NBA’s leading scorer this season with 33.8 points per game, Doncic is also averaging a team-best 9.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. Any potential absence of Doncic from the Mavs’ lineup would pose a major obstacle, with the Mavs going 0-5 in games without Doncic this season.
