The Dallas Mavericks have been going through a challenging stretch, with star player Luka Doncic sidelined due to a left calf strain. This injury occurred during the team’s Christmas Day matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, where Doncic was dominating the game with 14 points, 2 assists and 5 rebounds in just 16 minutes of play.
Despite his strong performance, Doncic had to exit the game due to the injury, and the Mavericks ultimately fell short, losing 99-105.
Doncic’s road to recovery
Since then, the Slovenian star has missed 10 consecutive games. However, recent reports from TNT’s sideline reporter, Jared Greenberg, have offered a glimmer of hope for Mavericks fans.
According to Greenberg, the team is optimistic that Doncic could make his return to the court before the All-Star break, which takes place from February 14 to 16. Despite this optimism, the Mavericks have clarified that Doncic will not be re-evaluated until late January, leaving fans eagerly awaiting more updates on his recovery.
So far this season, Doncic has played in 22 of the Mavericks‘ 40 games. Prior to the injury, he was averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game, making his absence all the more noticeable. As the Mavericks continue to battle through this stretch, Doncic‘s return could be a game-changer for the team.
While Doncic has been recovering, the Mavericks have seen significant contributions from Kyrie Irving, who was traded to Dallas on February 6, 2023, in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and several draft picks.
The trade aimed to create a potent pairing between Irving and Doncic, which has paid off in the 2023/24 NBA season. The duo helped propel the Mavericks to the NBA Finals, and as the 2024/25 season has progressed, their chemistry has only strengthened.
“Does he ever annoy me? Yeah, people get annoying,” Irving said.
“He’s not the only person that annoys me, I annoy him too. We just spend a lot of time off the court just enjoying each other’s presence. Our families getting to know each other. We annoy each other when the wine gets going, start telling jokes, and he starts bringing up how he beat me when I was in Brooklyn, and just all the extra memories and stuff like that. Annoying is part of friendship and part of brotherhood, so I’m not mad at it.”