The Dallas Mavericks will tipoff a five-game road trip with their best player watching from the sidelines. Luka Doncic won't play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday with left ankle soreness, the team announced.
Joining the MVP candidate on the bench will be Dorian Finney-Smith (right adductor strain) and Josh Green (right elbow strain), both of whom have been out for multiple weeks. Maxi Kleber, meanwhile, is still recovering from a right hamstring tear suffered in mid-December that's poised to keep him out through the start of February.
It's no surprise that Doncic is being held out versus Oklahoma City. Relatively impressive as the Thunder have been this season, winning tough games isn't exactly at the top of their priority list with Chet Holmgren missing his entire rookie year and Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson waiting at the top of the 2023 draft.
The Mavericks are also playing on the second leg of a back-to-back after beating the New Orleans Pelicans 127-117 on Saturday at American Airlines Center. Doncic dropped 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on the Pelicans, leading Dallas to a 19-point lead after the first quarter. He's averaging 36.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 8.9 assists over the last 10 games on stellar 62.6% true shooting, further strengthening a deserving MVP resumé.
Dallas is 8-2 over that stretch, coming from under .500 to enter Sunday's action at 23-17, fourth in the Western Conference and just three-and-a-half games back of the first-place Denver Nuggets. Expect Spencer Dinwiddie and rookie Jaden Hardy to sop up most of the playmaking duties for the Mavericks with Doncic sidelined.
Dallas and Oklahoma City tipoff at 4:00 p.m. (PT).
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