Dallas Mavericks rookie phenom Luka Doncic will not play on Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to head coach Rick Carlisle.
Doncic is dealing with a right knee contusion. The 20-year-old banged his right knee in the first half of Thursday's game against the Denver Nuggets in the Mile High City.
Doncic also played through a left knee injury last week.
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The Mavs are 27-41 on the season and are virtually out of the running for a playoff spot.
In 64 games this season, Luka Doncic has been stellar. He's averaging 21.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists per contest while shooting 43.0 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from beyond the arc and 70.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Luka has 18 double-doubles and four triple-doubles on the season. He is the front-runner to win the Rookie of the Year award.
In a rebuild season, there's no point to play Doncic if he's not 100 percent. Carlisle is a smart coach and Mavs owner Mark Cuban is diligent as well. There's no way the two men would let Luka play if he's got pain in his knees.
The Mavs enter Saturday on a seven-game losing streak. They lost to the Nuggets on Thursday after Denver star Nikola Jokic hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer.
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