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Luka Doncic left the game between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns with a left ankle injury. The Slovenian rolled his ankle four minutes into the game. Doncic was in the post against Suns forward Cam Johnson when he tried to use his left leg to pivot.
Doncic appeared to step on Johnson's foot and started limping after the play. Dallas took a timeout shortly after the incident as the All-Star point guard walked back to the locker room, favoring his left ankle.
The Dallas Mavericks superstar did not return for the game. The team revealed it was an ankle sprain. The Mavericks also said that the MRI on the ankle is negative.
Dallas will be relieved that it isn't a significant injury. They are already without their second-best scorer Christian Wood, who is currently sidelined with a thumb injury.
Coach Jason Kidd said the team will have more information about Doncic's injury once they travel to Utah for their next game.
Luka Doncic misses his first game this season due to injury
Luka Doncic came into the season in excellent shape. He managed to stay injury-free until the Dallas Mavericks' road game against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. Before this, he had missed five games, but that was due to rest and recovery during back-to-back sets.
Doncic has helped the Mavericks to the sixth spot in the Western Conference with a 26-24 record. Earlier in the day, Doncic was named an All-Star starter this year after averaging a league-high 33.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game.
Luka Doncic could be the only All-Star on the Dallas Mavericks for the third straight year. His health remains crucial to the team's hopes of making a deep playoff run unless they pair him up with another superstar at the trade deadline.
The Mavericks were 0-5 in games without Doncic, so it's evident they need their superstar to play every game to achieve a winning season. Their 99-95 victory against the Suns today was the first time they posted a win without Doncic playing significant minutes. The Suns were also without their best player Devin Booker.
Kidd added that Doncic was "smiling" and was happy for his teammates. While it won't go on the record because the Slovenian started the game, this unofficially was the team's first win in Doncic's absence as he barely made a contribution. He secured a rebound and went scoreless in three minutes of play.
