Luka Doncic diagnosed with calf strain, no timetable for return

Tim MacMahon: Luka Doncic’s MRI today confirmed a calf strain, as expected, per source. Mavs have not set a timetable for his return.
Source: Twitter @espn_macmahon

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

David Locke @DLocke09
In his career Luka Doncic has shot poorly v. four teams
Atlanta 39% and 27% from three
Denver 42% and 21% from three
Miami 38% and 31% from three
Philadelphia 37% and 25% from three
Aaron Gordon has had the best individual defensive success v. Doncic holding him to 10 of 33 – 12:08 AM David Locke @DLocke09
Late game is going to be fascinating in the series.
JAZZ WITH BALL
Jazz brought Luka to the ball to make him defend and the Mavericks would soft blitz Don and it forced the Jazz to move the ball and they were super. – 12:03 AM Jason Anderson @JandersonSacBee
NBA awards ballot submitted with five minutes to spare. Absolutely excruciating. Incredible seasons by Jokic, Giannis, Embiid, Luka, Booker and many others. I went with Jokic for MVP with Giannis second and Embiid third. Won’t be surprised if Embiid is second and Giannis third. – 12:01 AM David Locke @DLocke09
Re-watching Jazz v. Mavericks 2nd game of the year. They are going into the clutch. (should I be nervous ) Interesting to watch.
Lots of Donovan/O’Neale pick and roll bringing Luka to the play.
Donovan pushes the ball ahead terrifically on a few and makes some big shots – 11:57 PM David Locke @DLocke09
Luka Doncic this year with or without Rudy Gobert on the floor
With Rudy Gobert on the floor ZERO of shots in restricted area and 0 for 3 within 6 feet and 5 of 11 in paint. 11 of 30 shots in the paint
Gobert off the floor 4 of 7 at the rim and 18 of 38 shots in the paint – 11:27 PM Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
NBA Awards ballots!
MVP
1. Jokic
2. Giannis
3. Embiid
4. Luka
5. Booker
You can vote any of the top 3 and it’s totally legit. Had Giannis pretty much until the very end. Flowers for Embiid who was remarkable.
(More) – 10:29 PM Ryan McDonald @ryanwmcdonald
Luka Doncic’s injury status is still up in the air after MRI https://t.co/qwdfhBmtMi pic.twitter.com/8NTnbApYt2 – 9:32 PM Eddie Sefko @ESefko
The latest on Luka’s strained left calf, and how his leadership is fueling the Mavericks. Plus, could this situation be relatable to Dirk Nowitzki’s knee injury in 2003?
mavs.com/doncic-the-lea… – 8:27 PM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
Luka Doncic’s calf strain is a calf strain, and experts say it gets way more “complex” after that dallasnews.com/sports/maveric… – 8:25 PM Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
Dallas has already announced that Luka Dončić has a left calf strain and is not obligated, five days before Game 1, to publicly share details about today’s MRI findings. So the wait for clarity on Luka’s status for Saturday’s Game 1 against visiting Utah is likely to continue. – 7:55 PM Kevin O’Connor @KevinOConnorNBA
My 2022 NBA MVP ballot:
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Joel Embiid
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
4. Luka Doncic
5. Devin Booker – 7:28 PM Kevin O’Connor @KevinOConnorNBA
My All-NBA votes:
1st
C: Nikola Jokic
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo
F: Jayson Tatum
G: Luka Doncic
G: Devin Booker
2nd
C: Joel Embiid
F: Kevin Durant
F: LeBron James
G: Ja Morant
G: Steph Curry
3rd
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
F: Pascal Siakam
F: DeMar DeRozan
G: Trae Young
G: Chris Paul – 6:34 PM Jeff Stotts @InStreetClothes
My In Street Clothes Podcast cohost @BrianSuttererMD did a great video detailing what we know so far on Luka Doncic’s calf injury. Check it out. youtu.be/tFxTjXACy-8 – 6:29 PM Ben Anderson @BensHoops
Luka Doncic game one of the Jazz playoff series. pic.twitter.com/FpKD8EhDAB – 5:48 PM Emiliano Carchia @Sportando
Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid named NBA Players of the week sportando.basketball/en/luka-doncic… – 4:19 PM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
Mavs just announced they’ll have their first playoff practice tomorrow morning with media availability for Jason Kidd and at least one player around 12:30 p.m.
I’m confident there will be some Luka Doncic update before then and also confident Luka Doncic will not be that player. – 4:17 PM Duane Rankin @DuaneRankin
Tim Legler and Max Kellerman debate top 5 most important players in #NBAPlayoffs:
Kellerman
1. Kevin Durant
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Joel Embiid
4. Ja Morant
5. Stephen Curry
Legler
1. James Harden
2. Stephen Curry
3. Jayson Tatum
4. Jimmy Butler
5. Luka Doncic
No #Suns? pic.twitter.com/CPlO2XeGqM – 4:11 PM StatMuse @statmuse
The Mavs were 16-18 in December. They went 36-12 since then. That’s a Win % of 75%.
In that span:
— Luka 30/10/9 on 46/37%
— Brunson 16/4/4 on 51/40%
— Dinwiddie 16/3/4 on 50/40%
#MuseTakeover pic.twitter.com/aUx09qixKm – 4:06 PM Duane Rankin @DuaneRankin
Tim Legler and Max Kellerman debate 5 most important players in #NBAPlayoffs
Kellerman
1. Kevin Durant
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Joel Embiid
4. Ja Morant
5. Stephen Curry
Legler
1. James Harden
2. Stephen Curry
3. Jayson Tatum
4. Jimmy Butler
5. Luka Doncic
No #Suns? pic.twitter.com/UEb4desAEf – 4:02 PM Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
Nikola Jokic has led the @Denver Nuggets in total points, rebounds, and assists in each of the last five seasons.
No other player in NBA history has recorded more than three such seasons in a row:
5 – Jokic
3 – Wilt Chamberlain
3 – LeBron James
3 – Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/PCVQkjco21 – 4:01 PM StatMuse @statmuse
There have only been 7 seasons in NBA history where a player has averaged:
28+ PPG
9+ RPG
8+ APG
Luka Dončić already has 2 of those seasons in 4 years.
#MuseTakeover pic.twitter.com/9bJpnwbtg8 – 3:49 PM StatMuse @statmuse
Luka Dončić has MORE career 30-point Triple Doubles than:
• Larry Bird
• Magic Johnson
• Kobe Bryant
• Jason Kidd
• Michael Jordan
• Giannis
• Nikola Jokic
• Kevin Durant
Luka is 23 years old.
#MuseTakeover pic.twitter.com/lDxzEfCHL5 – 3:30 PM StatMuse @statmuse
Highest career Playoff PPG of All-Time
1. Luka Dončić: 33.5
2. Michael Jordan: 33.4
Get healthy soon, Luka.
#MuseTakeover pic.twitter.com/BM9WWTj1yI – 3:22 PM Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
NBA Players of the Week for the final week of the season: Mavericks‘ Luka Doncic and 76ers‘ Joel Embiid. – 3:01 PM Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
📅 On this day in 2018, the @Philadelphia 76ers Markelle Fultz had 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win over the Bucks.
Fultz became the first teenager in NBA history to record a triple-double. Three others have done so since: Luka Doncic (4x), Josh Giddey (4x), and LaMelo Ball. pic.twitter.com/I7WO0ZqSxK – 3:01 PM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
From @TimCowlishaw: Circumstances suggest Luka Doncic’s injury could, and should, have been avoided dallasnews.com/sports/maveric… – 2:23 PM Chuck Cooperstein @coopmavs
The Mavs are 8-9 in games they played without Doncic. 2-0 since the Dinwiddie trade (SAC & HOU). Dinwiddie started 7 games for DAL. Mavs went 6-1 in those games, avg just under 22 pts/gm. – 1:54 PM Chris Palmer @ChrisPalmerNBA
All-NBA First Team:
G Trae Young
G Luka Doncic
F Giannis Antetokounmpo
F Nikola Jokic
C Joel Embiid
All-NBA Second Team:
G Steph Curry
G Devin Booker
F Jayson Tatum
F DeMar DeRozan
C Karl-Anthony Towns – 1:27 PM Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
wanted to reiterate my correct All-NBA selections, separate from the incorrect graphic during the show, just for clarity:
1st: Luka, Booker, Giannis, Embiid, Jokic
2nd: Curry, Ja, Tatum, KD, KAT
3rd: CP3, DeRozan, Siakam, LeBron, Bam
Full episode
youtu.be/WE2nlRqgp5E – 1:11 PM Eddie Sefko @ESefko
Mavericks-Spurs takeaways: It was a great regular season, but Luka’s injury and playing Utah in the first round sets up an interesting week leading up to Game 1.
mavs.com/mav-spurs-take… – 12:56 PM David Locke @DLocke09
LOCKED ON JAZZ – Utah Jazz vs. Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks Part 1: An Overview – lockedonjazz.net/jazz/utah-jazz… – 12:26 PM Eurohoops @Eurohoopsnet
All-Time NBA European Teams
First Team: Nowitzki, Giannis, Gasol, Parker, Doncic
Second Team: Jokic, Kukoc, Petrovic, Stojakovic, Sabonis
But who would win actually 🤔
eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/13… – 12:15 PM Dane Moore @DaneMooreNBA
It seems a lot of people think Pat Bev will check Paul George. He won’t
Jarred Vanderbilt will be the primary matchup on PG, because he always takes big ball-handlers (LeBron, Luka, etc). But Anthony Edwards will also get a lot of work on him. Switches, sloppy cross matches, etc pic.twitter.com/I5rBleAiLM – 12:10 PM Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Over NY’s final five games,
Obi Toppin averaged:
27.2 points,
6.2 rebounds,
3.8 made treys.
The only other players to average more than 27 points and six rebs in April were Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Pascal Siakam & Kevin Durant
tommybeer.substack.com/p/obi-and-iq-c… – 10:38 AM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
Good morning to everyone looking for updates on Luka Doncic’s calf strain. I promise as always, I’ll share any updates here as soon as there are any updates to share. – 10:25 AM Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Luka Doncic limps off floor with calf strain, status for playoffs unknown nba.nbcsports.com/2022/04/11/luk… – 8:01 AM Eurohoops @Eurohoopsnet
Luka Doncic suffers a calf strain in the last regular-season game
eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/13… – 6:03 AM Ryan Miller @millerjryan
After Doncic injury, attention turns to health as Jazz-Mavericks get set for playoff series. It appears Utah now has that advantage. ksl.com/article/503852… – 2:42 AM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
Sitting here eating a rice cake with peanut butter and thinking about how Luka Doncic received likely the most costly overturned-technical-foul, no-suspension appeal decision in NBA history.
Forfeiting a game check probably seems like small potatoes rn – 1:51 AM Eric Walden @tribjazz
After putting away Portland, the Jazz quickly switched their focus to Dallas: “They’re formidable. We have tons of respect for their program. Obviously, Luka is unique, and he’s the kind of player that is capable of putting a team on his back.”
sltrib.com/sports/jazz/20… – 1:38 AM Andy Larsen @andyblarsen
The Triple Team! 3 thoughts on
1. The history of calf strains… will Luka be back by Game 1?
2. The Jazz’s 2021-22 regular season is complete. Some statistical notes on every Jazz player’s season.
3. A quick recap of the year
sltrib.com/sports/jazz/20… – 1:35 AM Jeff McDonald @JMcDonald_SAEN
If the NBA had upheld Luka’s 16th technical, he would be 100 percent healthy for Dallas’ playoff opener against Utah.
Just saying. – 1:07 AM Chuck Cooperstein @coopmavs
And to make matters worse for Mavs, in trying to get Luka healthy, @NBA has announced that Mavs-Jazz will be the first game out of the blocks on Sat. Noon tip @theeagledallas. A 7:00 Sunday game would have been nice. – 12:46 AM Eddie Sefko @ESefko
Reactions to Luka’s injury and playing the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs: “For some reason,” Jalen Brunson said, “I feel like he’ll be ready to go.”
mavs.com/luka-injured-i… – 12:42 AM David Locke @DLocke09
POSTCAST – The playoffs are here and the Utah Jazz play Luca Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks – lockedonjazz.net/jazz/postcast-… – 12:40 AM Jeff Wade @SkinWade
Y’all are missing the point, this is clearly the NBA’s fault for rescinding the 16th technical foul on Luka – 12:31 AM David Locke @DLocke09
POSTCAST – the playoffs are here. The Jazz face Luca Doncic and the Mavericks twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… – 12:20 AM Brian Mahoney @briancmahoney
Luka gets the least possible time to get healthy after his calf strain tonight. Mavs-Jazz opens the playoffs next Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. – 12:12 AM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
Jalen Brunson on Luka Doncic: “For some reason I feel like he’ll be ready to go, knowing the competitor he is.” – 12:09 AM Brad Townsend @townbrad
Brunson on Doncic injury: “For some reason, I believe he’ll be ready to go, the competitor that he is.” – 12:09 AM Eddie Sefko @ESefko
Here’s the latest on Mavs vs. Jazz and Luka Doncic’s calf injury.
mavs.com/luka-injured-i… – 12:07 AM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
5 storylines in Mavs-Jazz playoff series: Luka Doncic’s injury overshadows best hopes in a decade dallasnews.com/sports/maveric… – 12:04 AM Eric Walden @tribjazz
Despite a sluggish start, the Utah Jazz overwhelmed the Blazers to earn No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, and a matchup against a Dallas team suddenly in fear of a Sunday night calf injury to star Luka Doncic. sltrib.com/sports/jazz/20… – 12:03 AM Tony Jones @Tjonesonthenba
Golden state wins in New Orleans
It’s official
Utah/Dallas first round….the Jazz will have to go through Luka Doncic – 11:56 PM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
Jason Kidd said he hasn’t talked to Luka or medical staff yet.
Said starters were going to play normal minutes for three quarters, and Luka’s injury came 2:24 before then.
Kidd: “We weren’t playing the New Orleans score. We were just trying to get better with the long layoff.” – 11:55 PM Brad Townsend @townbrad
Kidd: “I haven’t talked to medical or Luka. . . We’ll know more tomorrow.” – 11:53 PM CBS NBA @CBSSportsNBA
Luka Doncic injury update: Mavericks star suffers calf strain in final game of regular season vs. Spurs
https://t.co/uag4ZHVJ70 pic.twitter.com/egR60CV3ct – 11:40 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Spurs just saw Luka go down in what will ultimately be a meaningless game. They’ve gotten plenty of time for the starters. Win ties them with WAS for lottery odds. Why is everyone still in? – 11:30 PM Tim MacMahon @espn_macmahon
Jazz C Rudy Gobert missed three weeks this season with a mild calf strain. That’s not to say that Luka Doncic will need that much time — and Gobert likely would have returned soon had it been the playoffs — but it’s an example of the recovery timetable from a similar injury. – 11:29 PM Brad Townsend @townbrad
Luka Doncic leaves Mavericks’ regular-season finale with left calf strain dallasnews.com/sports/maveric… – 11:27 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Re Luka, a strained calf still puts him in danger of missing time in playoffs. Rare that a calf or hamstring that causes that type of limp resolves in less than a week. – 11:24 PM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
Luka Doncic leaves Mavericks’ regular-season finale with apparent left leg injury dallasnews.com/sports/maveric… – 11:23 PM TJ McBride @TJMcBrideNBA
Scoreobard watching:
GSW is up 20 so they are likely to be the 3rd seed.
UTA is up 16 points so DEN is likely to be the 6th seed.
DAL is up 13 points, but Luka now has a calf strain.
DEN’s best case scenario is now GSW blowing this lead & DAL holding on. – 11:23 PM Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
There’s initial optimism that Dallas star Luka Doncic hasn’t suffered a significant injury, source tells ESPN. Team is calling it a strained left calf. – 11:22 PM StatMuse @statmuse
Trying to figure out why Luka was even playing tonight pic.twitter.com/d3QxT2Gq7Y – 11:22 PM Dwain Price @DwainPrice
Luka strained his left calf and will not return to tonight’s game. – 11:22 PM JD Shaw @JShawNBA
Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic suffered a left calf strain against the Spurs tonight, per the team. The playoffs are less than one week away. – 11:21 PM Mark Followill @MFollowill
Luka has a left calf strain that he suffered late in the 3Q. He will be out for the remainder of the game. – 11:21 PM Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
Mavs say Luka Dončić (left calf strain) will not return to tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. – 11:20 PM Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Mavericks say Luka Doncic has a left calf strain and will miss remainder of Spurs game tonight. – 11:20 PM Chuck Cooperstein @coopmavs
Left calf strain for Doncic. Will not return – 11:20 PM Paul Garcia @PaulGarciaNBA
Per Mavs: Luka Dončić (left calf strain) will not return to tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. – 11:20 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
C’mon man. Luka has to be ok. Not in Game 82. – 11:16 PM Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Luka looked to be holding his knee after this play. Couldn’t get a look at what might have happened to him. pic.twitter.com/LjD1v2FapD – 11:16 PM Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
With 2:24 to go in the third quarter and Dallas leading San Antonio comfortably in the teams’ season finale, Luka Doncic has hobbled off the floor with an apparently left leg injury. – 11:14 PM Dwain Price @DwainPrice
Luka limps to the locker room after rubbing his left calf. – 11:13 PM Callie Caplan @CallieCaplan
Luka Doncic is grabbing at his calf, limping on his way directly from the court to the locker room. – 11:13 PM Eddie Sefko @ESefko
Luka Doncic clutching his left calf after an offensive possession. He’s heading to locker room with director of athletic performance Casey Smith. – 11:12 PM Tim MacMahon @espn_macmahon
Luka Doncic is grabbing his left calf and asked for a timeout. – 11:12 PM Chuck Cooperstein @coopmavs
Mavs-Spurs tied at 59 in a very entertaining 1st half. 21 lead changes & 9 ties. No lead larger than 7 (and no larger than 4 in the last 18 minutes). Doncic w/18-6-4. Vassell w/13 for SA. Mavs trying for 1st ever season sweep of SA. 2nd half soon @theeagledallas – 10:45 PM Nick DePaula @NickDePaula
Luka debuts his “El Matador” Jordan 11 IE PE pic.twitter.com/GqMrLjA1gb – 10:40 PM Eddie Sefko @ESefko
Luka not the least bit happy about no foul on the last play of the half. By the way, he can get as many technicals as he wants and he won’t be suspended for any games, playoffs or next season. Of course, he’d get ejected with two of them. BTW, Mavs tied with Spurs at 59. – 10:40 PM Jeff McDonald @JMcDonald_SAEN
The Spurs, in a game they would probably be better off not winning, are tied with Dallas at half 59-59. They are probably lucky the NBA rescinded Luka’s 16th technical the other day. He’s got 18 points at intermision. – 10:39 PM Brad Townsend @townbrad
Good time to remind folks, if Doncic gets a tech tonight it won’t result in a suspension — either in playoffs or next season. When this question came up late last season, an NBA official told me the 16-tech rule stipulates that the suspension happen in the season it occurred. – 10:13 PM Tim MacMahon @espn_macmahon
Luka Doncic spent most of the break between quarters engaging in a calm discussion with ref James Williams. No T called. pic.twitter.com/bw9h473dXO – 10:09 PM Paul Garcia @PaulGarciaNBA
1Q: Spurs by 1
Vassell, Keldon 6 pts each | Powell 8 pts
Jones 5 pts | Luka 7 pts
Spurs are winning paint and mid-range
Mavs are winning FT line – 10:06 PM Dwain Price @DwainPrice
My goodness Luka! That was deep! – 9:48 PM Eddie Sefko @ESefko
With his heels on the center-court logo, Luka Doncic drills a 3-pointer as the Mavericks take an early 11-6 lead. – 9:47 PM Eddie Sefko @ESefko
As MVP chant subsides, Luka rules up the crowd. pic.twitter.com/WeNZFwWq8K – 9:41 PM James Edwards III @JLEdwardsIII
Luka Garza said he experienced it all his rookie season — being a reserve, playing in the G League, starting in the NBA, playing 40 minutes. He thinks his crash course this season will prepare him well for the summer and where he needs to improve. – 9:36 PM Rod Beard @detnewsRodBeard
#Pistons Luka Garza said he benefited from the opportunity in his rookie season: “In year one, I’ve had it all: I’ve been a rotation guy (in the NBA) and I’ve been in the G League.” – 9:35 PM Rod Beard @detnewsRodBeard
#Pistons Luka Garza on finishing his rookie season: “It’s insane realizing these last couple of games would be it. I remember Summer League like it was yesterday.” – 9:32 PM Chuck Cooperstein @coopmavs
Mavs starters: Bullock, DFS, Powell, Brunson, Doncic
SA starters: Vassell, Johnson, Poeltl, Primo, Murray
8:40 tip @theeagledallas – 9:05 PM Eddie Sefko @ESefko
Jason Kidd was informed that players get a maximum of seven technical fouls in the playoffs before they earn a suspension. Regarding Luka, Kidd said: “You get seven? I’m telling him six.” – 8:41 PM Omari Sanfoka II @omarisankofa
Saben Lee, Braxton Key and Luka Garza are starting the second half. Looks like Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart are done tonight – 8:21 PM James Edwards III @JLEdwardsIII
HALFTIME: 76ers 62, Pistons 60. Casey brought back starters to end the first half and the 15-point gap immediately closed. Curious if we’ll see them to start the second half.
Isaiah Stewart: 10 points, 6 rebounds
Isaiah Livers: 9 points
Killian Hayes: 8 points
Luka Garza: 7p – 8:07 PM

More on this storyline

Tim MacMahon: Luka Doncic will get an MRI on his strained left calf this afternoon, sources said. Mavs will know more about the severity of the injury at that point. -via Twitter @espn_macmahon / April 11, 2022 Jeff Stotts: Re: Luka: There’s a lot of variability in calf strains. The calf is actually a muscle complex made up of multiple muscles. Severity & location will factor into resulting recovery. Average time lost for calf strains in the NBA this season was 16 days (median 17, minimum = 3 days) -via Twitter @InStreetClothes / April 11, 2022 Marc Stein: Luka Dončić is scheduled for an MRI exam today to determine the severity of his left calf strain and likely recovery timetable. Dallas opens the playoffs Saturday against Utah at 1 PM ET; Dončić was hurt in Sunday’s regular season finale. More from me: marcstein.Substack.com -via Twitter @TheSteinLine / April 11, 2022