Dec 25, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) warms up before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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Luka Doncic’s latest injury threatens MVP and All-NBA hopes

Doncic has already missed 8 games this season due to injuries.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic’s Christmas Day injury could have serious consequences for his MVP and All-NBA eligibility. The 25-year-old left the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a left calf strain and was ruled out during the halftime. The Mavs’ star scored 14 points in just 16 minutes before being forced to leave the court due to injury.

Notably, this is not the first time Doncic has suffered a calf injury. He missed the entire preseason this year after suffering a calf bruise. In 2022, a similar strain kept him out for the first three games of the playoffs.

How long Luka Doncic is expected to be sidelined?

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Doncic could be sidelined for an extended period after he was seen exiting the arena with crutches. The 5-time All-Star has been averaging 28.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game this season.

Reporting for ABC NBA Countdown on Mavericks star Luka Doncic exiting arena with crutches, with an MRI scheduled Thursday to determine severity of his calf strain: pic.twitter.com/yetYyzotRi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 26, 2024

Luka Doncic could be out of the MVP race

The injury comes at a critical time for Doncic, whose eligibility for both MVP and All-NBA honors are now in jeopardy. With Luka already missing 8 games this season, he can only miss nine more games before he reaches the 18-game threshold. Despite being the backbone of the Mavericks’ offense in recent years, the young guard has yet to win a season MVP honour.

Also Read:

According to NBA’s participation policy, Players must be on the court for 20 minutes in at least 65 games to be eligible for regular-season honors, including MVP and All-NBA teams. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, currently 73% of NBA players are either ineligible or on track to miss out on postseason honours.

Luka’s latest injury comes as a big blow for the Mavericks, who dropped to 19-11 after their 105-99 defeat against Timberwolves on Wednesday.

Image Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic

Swati Bhatia

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I work as a content strategist, specializing in creating engaging content about the NBA, WNBA, and MLB. My main focus is on writing breaking news updates, research-based articles, and covering trending topics. Right now, I’m leading the content team for the NBA, WNBA, and MLB categories at Playoffs English.