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Luka Doncic will miss at least one game with an ankle and knee sprain, according to Dallas Mavericks PR. According to some reports, he could miss additional time.
Luka Dončić (left knee and left ankle sprains) and Maxi Kleber (left oblique strain) will both miss tomorrow night’s game in Phoenix.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) November 16, 2021
Doncic suffered the injury in the final seconds of the Mavericks win against the Nuggets Monday night. It first appeared to be an ankle sprain, but an MRI revealed an additional knee sprain.
Sports injury analyst Jeff Stotts said the combination of a knee and ankle sprain isn’t uncommon and referenced a similar injury involving Dirk Nowitzki back in 2008, which forced him to sit out 10 days.
Not an uncommon combo of injuries. Mavs fans may remember Dirk suffering ankle & knee injuries in similar fashion in 2008. Ime Udoka crashed into Nowitzki’s leg & ankle forcing it inward. (Like Rivers & Luka). Nowitzki & his “bionic ankle” returned to action 10 days later. https://t.co/p62HZgxhzT
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) November 16, 2021
While Doncic is officially out for Wednesday night against Phoenix, there isn’t an update on when he will return, as the Mavericks appear to be treating the injury as a day-to-day situation. ESPN.com’s Tim MacMahon had a source tell him the Mavericks expect Doncic to miss some time but hopefully not an “extended stretch.”
Welp, tech issues prevented that hit from happening. Update is Luka Doncic’s ankle injury is “not too serious,” per source. He’s likely to miss some time but Mavs hope not an extended stretch. https://t.co/BmFL6aihWS
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) November 16, 2021
The Dallas Morning News’ Callie Caplan reported that Doncic is traveling with the Mavericks to Phoenix, so there is a chance he could play during the upcoming four-game road trip. The Mavericks play the Suns back-to-back, before then traveling to Los Angeles to play the Clippers in back-to-back games.
Adding to Tim’s report, Luka is on the Mavs’ plane to Phoenix now and will be with the team through the four-game road trip, even if not playing. https://t.co/SLOlpktmbF
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) November 16, 2021
Doncic missing any time right now is incredibly unfortunate, as the Mavericks are embarking on the toughest part of their schedule to date. The next six games will all be against teams currently in the top 11 in net rating. This was a perfect chance to find more out about the Mavericks, a puzzling team that has a negative point differential but a shining 9-4 record. These six games, if the Mavericks were closer to full strength, could have been a good measuring stick to see if those poor team metrics were true or if the team had turned a corner in the last handful of games. Not only will the Mavericks be without Doncic Wednesday, but also Maxi Kleber, who doesn’t have a set date on a return from a back injury that has had him on the shelf since Oct. 31.
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