Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic suffered a left hamstring injury during Thursday night’s defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder and is scheduled for an MRI Friday to assess the severity of the strain, head coach JJ Redick announced to media following the contest.
The 27-year-old guard, who currently tops the league in scoring with 33.5 points per game, initially injured his hamstring during the opening half before re-aggravating it in the third period. While being defended by Jalen Williams, Doncic planted his left foot and immediately doubled over in discomfort, eventually lying on the floor with his hands covering his face.
The star player managed just 12 points on 3-of-10 field goal attempts before departing the game with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter, walking slowly to the locker room under his own power. Dallas trailed 90-58 when Doncic exited and ultimately fell 139-96, ending their four-game winning streak.
“At this point, at this juncture of the season, it’s the last thing you want to see,” teammate LeBron James told reporters. “When you have an MVP candidate on your team, the last thing you want to see is somebody go down with a hamstring injury. … So, pray for the best, for sure, and a speedy recovery.”
Though Doncic declined to speak with media after the game, he joined his teammates on their flight back to Dallas. Redick explained that the medical staff treated Doncic’s hamstring at halftime and cleared him to continue playing.
“We checked him out,” Redick said. “He got work done. He was cleared. I mean, again, we’re not going to put a player at risk.”
This marks another hamstring setback for Doncic, who previously missed four games in February due to a similar left hamstring strain. Despite the injury concerns, he earned Western Conference Player of the Month recognition for March, averaging 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.3 steals per contest.
The six-time All-Star has earned five All-NBA first team selections throughout his career and captured the 2018-19 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
