The Dallas Mavericks suffered a quick scare when star Luka Doncic had to enter the concussion protocol after a hard fall to the court during a first-half drive to the basket during a 108-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavs phenom was fouled by Dwight Howard on the drive but stayed in the game to sink a pair of free throws, soon after checking out of the game late in the second quarter to undergo further testing in the locker room.

The Rookie of the Year passed the test with flying colors and was able to return to the game, but he still struggled during a 19-point outing, hitting only 5-of-14 from the floor against an adaptive Lakers defense. Doncic ad

“It was scary,” said Luka Doncic, who entered the game averaging 29.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.1 assists, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes. “I fell on my back, hit my head and my elbow. I was OK.”

Doncic had missed four games earlier this month with an ankle injury, though it seems the MVP candidate won't miss any time, able to finish the calendar year healthy as the Mavs face the Oklahoma City Thunder on New Year's Eve.

The Mavs have won two of their three games since Luka Doncic returned to the lineup after going 2-2 without him in the prior stretch. At 21-11, the Mavs are still in fifth place in the West, half a game behind the Houston Rockets and a full game ahead of the Utah Jazz in a jam-packed middle of the Western Conference.