Luka Doncic injury update: Mavericks star questionable for season opener vs. Spurs with calf strain

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is questionable for the team’s season opener against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday due to a left calf strain. A final decision about Doncic’s availability will arrive some time prior to the game on Wednesday. 

“[The calf is] better,” Doncic said while speaking to reporters on Tuesday. “We don’t know yet, honestly, [if I’ll be able to play]. I’ve been practicing for two days now, so I feel pretty good, but we’ll see how it feels tomorrow morning. I did everything [in practice]. I felt great yesterday, but we’ll see. Two days of practice is different than two weeks of just lifting and shooting.”

Doncic injured his calf earlier this month during a practice while the Mavericks were in Spain. They spent much of the preseason overseas, playing a series of games in Abu Dhabi and Madrid, including one against Doncic’s former club, Real Madrid. Doncic was limited to just five minutes of action in that contest, however, due to his calf injury. He underwent an MRI upon returning to the States and did not play in the team’s preseason finale on Oct. 20. 

This is not the first time that Doncic has injured this calf. He previously strained it at the end of the 2021-22 regular season and missed nearly two weeks, including the first three games of the Mavericks’ first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz. 

Whether Doncic ends up being able to go or not on Wednesday, all signs are pointing to a return sooner rather than later, which is great news for the Mavericks. They are coming off an extremely disappointing season in which they finished 38-44 and did not even make the play-in tournament. 

Getting back to the playoffs won’t be easy in a deep Western Conference that has a dozen teams with postseason dreams. A few games will likely be the difference between a top-six spot and a play-in berth, as well as a play-in berth and a lottery trip. As such, the Mavericks cannot afford many games without their star.