The Dallas Mavericks have not yet revealed how long star guard Luka Doncic will be out after injuring his left calf on Christmas Day.
What is certain is that Doncic will not play when the Mavericks start their four-game road trip against the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Doncic hurt his calf during the second quarter of a 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was expected to have an MRI exam on Thursday.
Some reports suggest that Doncic could be sidelined for an extended period, and the Mavericks are preparing to play without their top player.
“It’s an opportunity for one (or more) of us to step up,” said Dallas guard Klay Thompson. “It can be done. He’s obviously our best player, but we got to be tested, and this is a good test ahead.”
Doncic has missed eight games this season, and the Mavericks have done well without him, with a 6-2 record in those games. One of those wins came against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road, where P.J. Washington had season highs of 27 points and 17 rebounds.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd is confident the team can continue to perform at a high level. The loss to the Timberwolves was just the Mavericks’ fourth in the past 18 games.
“I think this is a group that can win, and they believe that,” Kidd said. “But we also need him.”
That “him” is Doncic, who is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists in 22 games this season. Last year, the 25-year-old finished third in MVP voting, marking his third top-five finish in the last five seasons.
Doncic scored 14 points in 16 minutes before leaving the game against the Timberwolves. Dallas trailed by as many as 28 points before making a strong comeback that fell short.
Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 39 points, his second-best performance of the season.
Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (left hip) is questionable for Friday’s game. He had six points and 10 rebounds in 30 minutes against the Timberwolves.
After Phoenix, the Mavericks will play the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, the Sacramento Kings on Monday, and the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
Phoenix will also be without one of its stars, as guard Devin Booker (left groin strain) will miss his fourth straight game.
The Suns ended a three-game losing streak with a 110-100 home win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each scored 27 points, helping Phoenix bounce back from a 117-90 road loss to the Nuggets on Monday.
The disappointing performance in Denver led Suns coach Mike Budenholzer to challenge the team.
It reminded the Suns to focus on the little things when their shooting isn’t on point.
“When you can’t make shots or you just (are) in a little hole as a team, just that physicality and that energy is a good remedy to get you out of that little hole that you (are) in,” Suns forward Kevin Durant said.
The Suns also played with more energy, something that had been missing in previous games.
“Honestly man, if you look at all those games, that’s why we lost — just weren’t having fun,” Beal said. “Weren’t enjoying it, just pressing trying to make the perfect play. … I think just finding that joy, it uplifts you in every category of the game.”
Suns guard Grayson Allen is still in concussion protocol and will miss his third consecutive game.
Phoenix is 2-0 against the Mavericks this season, having won 114-102 at home on Oct. 26 and 114-113 on the road on Nov. 8. Durant averaged 28.5 points in those games, while Doncic averaged 35 points for Dallas.
