Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić is expected to miss Thursday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a left quadriceps injury, according to NBA expert Marc Stein.
He said Dallas would be playing for a two-game rematch after Wednesday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in which the Mavs squandered a 20-point lead.
Dončić was also ruled out for Dallas’ game against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 22 due to a quad injury, according to Stein. It was just the second game he missed during the 2023-24 season.
The 24-year-old has been a workhorse for the Mavs this season, ranking third in the league with an average of 37. 0 minutes per game. Lately, he has been playing an average of 39. 6 minutes until December.
Dončić is in the midst of another MVP-caliber campaign. His 33. 7-point average is the second in the league to protect Philadelphia 76ers MVP Joel Embiid. He also leads the Mavs with 8. 4 rebounds, 9. 2 assists and 1. 4 steals per game.
Thanks to Dončić’s hot start, the Mavs are off to an 18-13 start to the season. Dallas is looking to bounce back from a disappointing finish to 2022-23 in which the team fell short of the playoffs.
However, the Mavs have been running in the absence of Kyrie Irving, who has been out since Dec. 8 with a right heel contusion.
Without Dončić on Thursday, Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum will have to step in on the Mavs’ defense to upgrade their production.