In the Dallas Mavericks’ first rematch against the Boston Celtics since the latter vanquished the former in a five-game NBA Finals obliteration, Dallas will be missing its best player.

Five-time All-NBA superstar guard Luka Doncic has been sidelined since the Mavericks’ 105-99 Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He exited that game after just 16 minutes of action with a calf strain, and is out for at least several more weeks.

Per the league’s latest injury report, starting center Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), reserve small forward Naji Marshall (illness), backup big man Dwight Powell (right hip strain), and backup guard Dante Exum (right wrist surgery) are all also on the shelf. Lively’s injury is new.

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Per Shams Charania of ESPN, Lively is expected to miss the next two-to-three months of action while recuperating from the ailment he initially suffered in a 118-99 January 14 loss against the Denver Nuggets.

The Mavericks did, however, reveal some tentative good news regarding Doncic’s health long-term.

According to longtime NBA insider Marc Stein, Dallas is hopeful that Doncic will be back healthy with the team prior to the league’s All-Star break. All-Star Weekend festivities kick off on February 14 at Chase Center in San Francisco, home to the Golden State Warriors.

The 6-foot-8 superstar has been missed in Dallas. The Mavericks have gone just 4-10 since Doncic went down, falling to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and a 24-21 record.

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Dallas’ rivalry with Boston since the team acquired All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday and one-time All-Star center Kristaps Porzingis in 2023 has been pretty one-sided. Including the Finals, the Celtics have gone 6-1 against the Mavericks.

Saturday’s matchup tips off at 5:30 p.m. ET, in American Airlines Arena in Dallas.

Through 22 healthy games for Dallas, Doncic had been averaging 28.1 points while slashing .464/.354/.767, plus 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.0 steals a night.

Now, his streak of five consecutive All-Star and All-NBA teams will likely come to an end. Doncic has already missed out on a starting spot for the West, and has probably not appeared in enough games to be named an All-Star reserve by coaches. He has already missed the NBA’s cutoff for an All-NBA honor, which requires players to suit up for at least 65 games.

Even if he came back on Saturday, Doncic could, at maximum, play in 59.

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