Dallas Mavericks fans will be sweating this upcoming road trip, as their star and MVP candidate Luka Doncic will not be joining them for a prime-time Saturday night showdown with the Golden State Warriors.
The news, which came via ESPN'S Marc Stein, comes after Doncic suffered a heel injury in the second half of the Mavericks' 111-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans Thursday night. The team's 81-55 lead nearly evaporated by the end of the game without him. Dallas' supporting cast could struggle to pick up the massive slack left by Doncic should he miss multiple games.
Head coach Jason Kidd has not yet ruled out the four-time NBA All-Star for the entire upcoming five-game West Coast road trip. Each of those opponents is within two games or less of the Mavericks. January was not kind to the team, as Dallas stumbled to a 6-9 record (overall 28-25, fourth place in West) that likely has fans a bit concerned.
Many fans are already clamoring for the front office to get Doncic more help, and now that he he is banged-up again that pressure will only increase. The Mavericks have less than a week to obtain reinforcements. For now, it seems they will have to venture out to the Bay Area without the man who carries more of an offensive burden than anyone else in the league.
Doncic is averaging 33.4 points per game on a sterling 50 percent from the field. Christian Wood (18.4) is also still out with a thumb injury, which means Spencer Dinwiddie (17.6) will be expected to step up in a big way against the defending NBA Champions.
With no ground to lose in a heated playoff race, the Mavericks and their fans will desperately hope to get Doncic back against the Utah Jazz.
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