Luka Dončić's Calf Injury Worries NBA Fans as Anthony Edwards, T-Wolves Beat Mavs

Luka Dončić’s Calf Injury Worries NBA Fans as Anthony Edwards, T-Wolves Beat Mavs

Posted by Admin December 25, 2024 NBA

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Dallas Mavericks fans got the NBA equivalent of coal in their stockings on Christmas Day as the Mavs were beaten 105-99 by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.

The Mavericks trailed by as many as 28 points mounted a furious comeback attempt late. Klay Thompson made it a two-point game with a little over a minute remaining.

Dallas even had an opportunity to go ahead, but Kyrie Irving’s long-range jumper hit the front iron. Anthony Edwards grabbed the rebound and scored inside at the other end, which gave the Wolves the breathing room they desperately needed to hold onto the result.

More worrying than the defeat for the Mavs, star Luka Dončić was limited to 16 minutes due to a left calf strain. He exited midway through the second quarter and didn’t return. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon noted it’s the third calf strain of Dončić’s career.

Irving went off for 39 points to carry the Mavericks as much as he could, but Dallas was clearly missing its best player.

Dončić’s injury raised concerns about the Mavs as a whole in addition to his quest for any individual honors. He could be in jeopardy of failing to hit the NBA’s minimum game threshold for award and All-NBA consideration.

Dalton Trigg @dalton_trigg

I don’t want to go as far as suggesting that Luka’s calf is cooked, but it’s been a constant problem for nearly a full calendar year now.

Jake Issenberg @jakeissenberg

It’s been a toxic week on here when it comes to the Mavs and Luka. I’m not celebrating Luka’s injury. Just noting that durability with Luka is not a strength.

tim cato @tim_cato

that about as visibly emotional as i’ve seen Luka about an injury that happened on the court

Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps

Of note about this: Luka has already missed eight games. If he misses any significant time with this, could quickly put his MVP and All-NBA chances in jeopardy, as he can only miss another 9 games this season and still be eligible for both honors. https://t.co/K055Qd3OkB

Josh Bowe @Boweman55

we’re not even to the halfway point of the season and Luka has now picked up five lower body injuries since the start of training camp. not great.

SJ @SJBasketball8

luka’s 1st team all nba streak will come to an end which is unfortunate. calf strain isn’t the worst news in the world but they have to be cautious

claire de lune @ClaireMPLS

luka to the locker room is pretty much worst case scenario for both dallas and the nba here

Five games separate the third-place Memphis Grizzlies from the Phoenix Suns in 11th in the tightly packed Western Conference. Any contending team in the West is basically one good or bad week away from seeing its position in the standings change dramatically.

Even if Dončić is only sidelined for a few weeks, it will be a major blow for the Mavericks.

The Timberwolves, meanwhile, will be happy to have earned a win over another playoff rival, yet the way in which they sputtered to the finish line sapped a lot of enthusiasm from the outcome.

With three quarters in the books, Minnesota was up by 21 points and seemingly coasting to a victory. Instead, the Wolves fell victim to a lot of the issues that have made them so maddeningly inconsistent.

Barflaan Tedoe 🇱🇷 @The_Barftender

Dumbest team in the NBA is back

Jon Krawczynski @JonKrawczynski

Wolves offense turning into just trying to make tough shots again. Have to settle down, move the ball like they did early.

Isaac Gutierrez @byisaacg

Washed Conley-McDaniels-Randle-Gobert is just such a terrible offensive group for him. So little advantage creation for him

There’s simply no reason this should’ve become a one-possession game.

After the near-collapse in the fourth, head coach Chris Finch and his staff are once again left needing to go back to the drawing board to figure out what’s wrong with Minnesota’s offense.