Inconsistency continued to be a trend for the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, when they fell to the New Orleans Pelicans. The loss brought Dallas’ record over their last 10 games to just 3-7.
To make matters worse, star guard Luka Doncic left the game early because of a nagging thigh injury. His early exit was the main point of discussion during Doncic’s postgame press conference.
When initially asked about his injury, he responded by telling reporters that it’s “not good.”
“It’s been going on for one week, maybe more, I just can’t really push off of that leg,” Doncic said via Mavs Fan For Life’s Landon Thomas. “I’m just getting with no running, I can feel it, but mostly probably on the jump shots. So pushing off is very hard for me.”
He then detailed how his pain increased as the night went on.
“I always try to play,” Doncic explained after Dallas’ 113-106 loss to the Pelicans. “I think the first quarter wasn’t really that bad, but it got worse, especially in the third quarter. I just tried something to help it stick together, but it didn’t really help. Like I said, I was going more and more and then I could barely run. Normally I got hit in the thigh, but this one I didn’t get hit, so it’s kind of weird for me. I don’t really know what it is, I don’t know, it’s weird.”
Doncic went on to explain that he was going to be getting an MRI the following day.
Luka Dončić on his non-contact thigh injury: “Not good”.
Dončić said it’s been bothering him for a week and has reached a point where he could barely run. Dončić will get an MRI on his left thigh tomorrow and will know more.
Mavs’ Luka Doncic Shares Injury Update After Loss to Suns
Like Doncic said, this is an injury that’s been bugging him quite a bit recently. It was something he was playing through in the Mavericks’ recent loss to the Phoenix Suns.
He had spoke on the nagging pain after that game, but it didn’t sound as drastic as it did after Wednesday’s loss.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been dealing with that, like, [since] last week,” Doncic said via the Mavericks’ official YouTube channel. “So, today was the worst. But you know, I just tried to keep going. When I try to like shoot or jump, I feel like this leg is a little bit weaker. But pain-wise, it’s a little better, but not too bad.”
Jason Kidd Sounds Off on Luka Doncic Injury After Mavericks Loss
Doncic wasn’t the only one who spoke about his ailment. His head coach, Jason Kidd, also shared some insight to how his star’s play had changed.
“We all can see that he’s not moving well — shooting, defense — it’s affecting everything,” Kidd said of Doncic’s injury via Sports Illustrated’s Grant Afseth. “He’s trying to fight through it and help his teammates, but he had to leave there. Hopefully, it’s not something serious. We have a couple days here before we play Memphis. Hopefully, he’s back soon.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd on Luka Doncic’s left leg injury that ruled him out midway through the loss against the Pelicans:
“We all can see that he’s not moving well — shooting, defense — it’s affecting everything. He’s trying to fight through it and help his teammates, but he…
Losing the Slovenian star to injury would of course be a big blow to the reeling Mavs. He’s been playing at an MVP level all season, averaging 33 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8 assists per game.
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Luka Doncic Shares Brutal Injury Update After Mavericks Ugly Loss to Pelicans