Luka Doncic Injury: Mavericks Star Exits With Right Ankle Sprain

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic left Thursday night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans with a right ankle injury he suffered on a hard foul near the basket in the third quarter.

By video, Doncic appeared to suffer an eversion medial deltoid ankle sprain when he landed on his right foot and it bent outwards, according to the Pro Basketball Docs.

The 23-year-old guard exited with 6:47 remaining in the quarter and his team up 27 points. He was ruled out for the rest of the game with a “right heel contusion.”

Luka Doncic Injury Analysis

Doncic likely also has a contusion to his heel, but the ankle injury is the main reason he is bound to miss a few games. 

The former NBA Rookie of the Year has sprained his right ankle twice before -- once in December 2019 and again in January 2020 -- but this sprain appears to be to a different ligament, according to the Pro Basketball Docs. 

Doncic missed a combined 12 games in the 2019-20 season, but the good news is this ankle injury should heal more quickly. He is unlikely to require surgery or an extended absence.

Doncic, who is currently second in the NBA in points per game with 33.4, suffered an inversion ankle sprain last Thursday. As predicted by the Pro Basketball Docs, he returned after a short absence, missing only one game.

Luka Doncic Return Timeline

After the game, Dallas head coach Jason Kidd said he didn't have an update on Doncic's status but that he was unavailable to return after the injury.

“No matter what the score was, he wasn’t coming back,” Kidd told reporters.

Doncic's unique playing style should allow him to return soon for the Mavericks, who won their second straight game and improved to 19-9 at home.

Doncic is likely to miss Saturday's contest against the Golden State Warriors along with Monday's game against the Utah Jazz, but he could make it back for Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers on ESPN. Spencer Dinwiddie will likely see a bigger role if Doncic misses time.

Luka Doncic MVP Odds

Dallas (28-25) currently sits at No. 5 in the Western Conference with 29 games remaining. Doncic has averaged 33.4 points, 8.3 assists and 8.9 rebounds in 47 games this season. Not surprisingly, the Mavericks are winless (0-6) without him this season.

Doncic currently has the third-best odds to win the NBA MVP Award at +700, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Nikola Jokic is at -115 and Joel Embiid is at +250.

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