Mavs star Luka Dončić will be out about a month before check on calf injury

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić will be out about 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 said Friday.

Dončić underwent an MRI on his strained left calf, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the injury haven’t been released.

The absence is almost certain to be long enough to disqualify the five-time All-NBA player from consideration for that and other major awards, including MVP.

Dončić had already missed eight games, including five because of 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 25-year-old never made it to the defensive end and limped to the locker room after the Mavericks called a timeout.

The defending Western Conference champion Mavericks play 17 games over the next month, starting Friday night in Phoenix. Dončić 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 most games Dončić has missed in a season is 17 in 2021-22, before the participation rule went into effect.

The injury happened in Dončić’s second game back after missing two games with a left heel contusion. He also is developing a history of issues with his left calf. Doncic missed all or most of the past two preseasons while previously sitting the first three games of the 2022 playoffs.

The Mavericks, who are in fourth place in the West, are 6-2 without Dončić this season. A large reason for that is fellow backcourt star Kyrie Irving, who is averaging 24 points when Dončić sits.

Dallas also added four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson from Golden State in the offseason, and his 3-point threat makes it easier to survive without Dončić.

Spencer Dinwiddie, who played an important role in the surprising 2022 run to the West finals that started without Dončić, returned to Dallas in the offseason and will see more minutes while the Slovenian star sits.

Naji Marshall, another offseason addition, scored at least 20 points in each of the first four games Dončić missed with the sprained wrist. An illness recently sidelined Marshall four times in a stretch of five games, but he has played the past four games.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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