Luka Doncic Injury: Mavericks' Star Exits With Right Ankle Sprain

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

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 game with “right heel contusion.”

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 Slovenian No. 3 overall pick 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. 

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

Doncic, who is currently second 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 - just one game.

Return Timeline

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

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

His unique play-style should allow him to return soon for the Mavericks, who won their second straight and improved to 19-9 at home.

Doncic is likely to miss Saturday's contest against the Warriors along with Monday's game against the Utah Jazz, but he could make it back for Wednesday's game against the Clippers on ESPN.

Luka Doncic MVP Odds

Dallas (28-25) 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. The team is winless (0-6) without Doncic this season.

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

Spencer Dinwiddie will likely see a bigger role with Doncic out a few games.

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