The Mavericks provided an injury update on star point guard Luka Dončić on Tuesday, and the news was not ideal days before the start of the playoffs.
The team announced that an MRI has confirmed the diagnosis of a strained left calf, which was suffered during Sunday’s regular season finale against the Spurs. There is no timetable for Dončić’s return to the court.
Dončić enjoyed another stellar regular season for the Mavericks. In 65 games, he averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game, marking the third straight year in which he’s averaged at least 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per contest. He also set career highs by averaging 1.2 steals per game and shooting 35.3% on three-point attempts.
The three-time All-Star had been rounding into form as of late. In his previous nine games, Dončić had been averaging 31.6 points and 9.9 assists per game while shooting 40.5% on three-pointers, a stretch that included a 32-point performance in a win over Utah—Dallas’s first-round opponent—on March 27. The Mavericks went 2–2 against the Jazz this season, including a four-point loss on Christmas in which Dončić did not play.
Dallas is set to begin its first-round matchup with Utah at home on Saturday.
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