Luka Doncic played just five minutes in the Dallas Mavericks' exhibition game against Real Madrid on Tuesday. Apparently, it's because of a rather worrisome calf injury.

Before the game even started, the Mavs already revealed their plan to limit Doncic's playing time as they remain “ultra cautious” of his injury. He's reportedly dealing with a left calf strain,  and while he wanted to play more, Dallas insisted on the five-minute limit, per NBA insider Marc Stein.

Of course any injury to Doncic sparks plenty of fears and concerns among the Dallas faithful. With the 2023-24 NBA season just two weeks away as well, it's definitely not an ideal time to sustain any significant health setback.

Fortunately for the Mavs, there's really nothing to be concerned about. Doncic himself emphasized after their 127-123 loss to Real Madrid that his injury is “nothing serious.”

It remains to be seen how the injury will affect Luka Doncic's participation in their upcoming practices and remaining preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs. The fact that he was able to play even five minutes against Real Madrid already gave a hint that the injury isn't significant, but with the risk of aggravating the issue, it won't be a surprise if Dallas remains extra cautious like they did on Monday.

The good thing now is it doesn't look like Doncic is going to be sidelined when the season starts. With Kyrie Irving also dealing with a health issue of his own, the last thing the Mavs need is for another superstar to fall victim to the injury bug.