Luka Doncic has missed the Dallas Mavericks' last two matchups due to an ankle injury, and that same problem could force him to sit out his third straight game on Monday.

While Doncic has not yet been ruled out, there's a bigger chance for him to remain sidelined in Monday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. After all, he's listed as doubtful for the contest amid his lingering right ankle injury, per NBA insider Marc Stein.

There's a bit of good news for the Mavericks, with rookie big man Dereck Lively II trending in the right direction amid his lengthy absence as a result of a left ankle sprain. It's still unknown if he will play against the Pelicans since he's listed as questionable, but that remains a major upgrade after missing the team's last five games.

Luka Doncic's injury status is definitely getting worrisome, though. Prior to his latest absences, Doncic had not been ruled out in back-to-back games this 2023-24. Now, it's a real possibility that he's sidelined for three games in a row. Doncic is Dallas' best player, averaging a near triple-double of 33.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game, so any time he's out is a huge problem for the team.

In the two games without him, the Mavericks split it 1-1. Nonetheless, their loss came against the New Orleans Pelicans, who even played without their two best players in Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. As they face New Orleans once again on Monday, things could get more troublesome for them with Williamson and Ingram likely to play.

Hopefully, Kyrie Irving, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Derrick Jones Jr. can step up once again and pull off a win for Dallas this time around.