DALLAS — After losing Luka Doncic to a strained left calf, an injury that sources told ESPN could sideline the superstar for an extended period of time, the Dallas Mavericks‘ bid for a Christmas miracle comeback fell just short.
The Minnesota Timberwolves escaped American Airlines Center with a 105-99 win Wednesday after the Mavs whittled a 28-point second-half deficit to a one-possession margin in the final minute.
That was no consolation for a Dallas squad that is bracing for its perennial MVP candidate to miss several games. Doncic is expected to undergo an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of his calf strain, sources said.
“It stings for sure for all of us,” said Mavs co-star Kyrie Irving, who scored a game-high 39 points to give the Mavs a chance to win without Doncic. “Praying for Luka just to have a speedy recovery. However long the timetable is, we’re going to have to adjust. It’s just the nature of the business. Hopefully, he just takes his time and comes back when he’s ready.”
Irving scored 26 points after Doncic was ruled out for the rest of the game at halftime, including 15 in the fourth quarter, matching Minnesota’s total in the final frame. Irving attempted a pull-up 3-pointer with 36.1 seconds remaining that would have given the Mavs the lead. The shot bounced off the front rim and was rebounded by Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards, who drove for the dagger layup on the ensuing possession.
“We put ourselves in position. He had a good look at the 3,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said of Irving. “It was short, but we’ll take that shot all day.”
Doncic exited late in the second quarter after grimacing in pain when he planted on his left foot after picking up his dribble. He immediately looked toward the Mavs’ bench to indicate he was injured and was unable to get back on defense.
After the Timberwolves scored, the Mavs called a timeout with 2:31 remaining in the first half to allow Doncic to leave the game. He hobbled to the locker room for further evaluation and was ruled out minutes later.
Doncic used crutches while leaving the arena postgame, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Doncic has already missed eight games this season with a variety of injuries, including a right knee contusion, a right wrist sprain and a left heel contusion. He returned from a two-game absence due to the heel injury for Monday’s home win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
“Hopefully, this will be his last [injury],” Kidd said, “and hopefully, it’s not too serious.”
Doncic has a history of injuries to that calf. Most recently, he missed all of this year’s training camp and preseason because of a left calf contusion. This is the third time Doncic has strained the calf in recent years. He missed the first three games of the 2022 playoffs after straining it during the regular-season finale and was sidelined for most of the 2023 preseason after straining it during a practice in Madrid.
Doncic, a first-team All-NBA selection over the past five seasons, scored 14 points in 16 minutes against Minnesota. He entered the game averaging 28.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game.
The Mavs (19-11) have had success without Doncic this season. Dallas is 6-2 in games that Doncic missed, including a loss in which Irving also was sidelined.
The Mavs outscored the Timberwolves by a 31-11 margin in the first 11 minutes of the fourth quarter to give Dallas a chance at pulling off its most improbable win of the season.
It would have been a disastrous setback for the Timberwolves (15-14), who had lost their previous three games and had been plagued by stagnant offense in clutch situations all season. Minnesota was 4-of-19 from the floor in the fourth quarter Wednesday until Edwards got a couple of buckets on drives in the final 1:17.
“I don’t want to sound like ignorant, but just give me the rock,” said Edwards, who finished with 26 points on 11-of-24 shooting. “We’ll figure it out. I feel like you just put the ball in my hands, live and die with what happens.”
