OKLAHOMA CITY — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic sustained a left hamstring injury during Thursday evening’s crushing 139-97 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder, with head coach JJ Redick announcing that the NBA’s current scoring leader will undergo an MRI examination on Friday.
According to Redick, Doncic experienced hamstring discomfort during the opening half and received treatment during halftime intermission.
“We checked him out, he got work done, he was cleared,” Redick said.
The All-Star guard returned to the court for a brief period before the injury worsened. During what would become his final possession, Doncic executed a spinning move while attempting a shot over Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams. Without any physical contact occurring, he suddenly stopped playing and collapsed to the floor. His night ended with 7:39 left in the third quarter.
“Those things happen,” Redick said.
The injury represents a significant setback for Doncic, who had posted 40 or more points in five of his last seven contests. Thursday’s performance saw him limited to just 12 points on 3-of-10 field goal attempts against Oklahoma City’s suffocating defensive effort.
The hamstring problem compounded what was already a disastrous evening for Dallas. When Doncic exited permanently, his team was trailing by a staggering 90-58 margin.
“I mean, it’s something you never want to see as a teammate,” Mavericks forward Jake LaRavia said. “So especially in a game like this, it was tough to see him go down. All the prayers for him hopefully, but yeah, you never want to see that.”
The injury concerns didn’t end with Doncic, as Mavericks guard Austin Reaves also departed temporarily due to a back problem.
“He was in a weird position, stretching for a basketball, loose ball,” Redick said. “And he just felt something intercostal, somewhere in his back, in between the ribs. He was able to play through it … we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
The two teams are scheduled to meet again when Dallas hosts Oklahoma City on April 7.
