Is Luka Doncic Playing Tonight? Latest News on Injury Status for Hawks vs Mavericks (Jan. 18)

The Dallas Mavericks are back in action Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. One player's status to keep an eye in ahead of tip-off is Luka Doncic, who missed Dallas' last game with an ankle injury.

Luka Doncic Injury Status 1/18/2023

Update (6:02 p.m. ET): Doncic is officially available on Wednesday. Our original story follows below.

Doncic's absence looks like it will be brief. He's listed as probable on the Mavs' injury report for Wednesday's contest, meaning he should be a full go barring any major setbacks.

Dallas is being cautious with its All-Star as he nurses this nagging ankle issue. He was held out of the second night of a back-to-back on Jan. 8 due to this ailment, and the team opted for same strategy on Jan. 15 when they faced the Portland Trail Blazers for the second time in as many nights.

Doncic was clearly off in that first contest against Portland, recording a meager 15 points to go along with 10 assists and 6 rebounds. He'd also played a whopping 95 combined minutes in the two previous games, so he may have been running on fumes.

A night off should work wonders for the Wonder Boy. He's one of the frontrunners in the MVP race for his performance this season, putting up 33.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 8.8 APG.

Luka Doncic Injury History

Doncic has missed time throughout his career for a variety of reasons. This season, he's popped up on the injury report mostly due to quad and ankle issues.

So far, Doncic has missed just five of the Mavericks' 45 games this season. His most recent absence was on Jan. 15 against Portland due to left ankle soreness.

Luka Doncic Fantasy Outlook & Prop Bets Today (Jan. 18, 2023)

Expected to return from a one-game absence, oddsmakers think Doncic will pick up right where he left off. He's set at over/unders of 34.5 points (-106/-120), 9.5 rebounds (-102/-125) and 9.5 assists (+106/136), according to FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA odds. With several injuries impacting the starting lineup, Doncic will be asked to do it all again for Dallas, so taking the over on 9.5 assists (+106) could end up netting a nice return.

Meanwhile, Doncic boasts both PG and SG eligibility for FanDuel DFS. He's the highest-priced player on Wednesday's slate at $12,400. He provides an insanely high floor when healthy, as evidenced by his 60.7 FanDuel fantasy PPG in 2022-23. However, with this ankle issue proving to be bothersome, I may pivot to the next tier of stars if they have clearly better matchups.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.