Luka Doncic remains out for the Dallas Mavericks, but expectations are high he can return to the lineup sooner rather than later–hopefully before Christmas.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavs are hopeful Doncic will be able to suit up when they play the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. That puts the Slovenian guard well on track to feature in their Christmas Day game against the Utah Jazz.

Luka Doncic has been dealing with a left ankle injury for some time now. Including Monday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he has now missed five straight games due to the issue.

Overall, the injury has now cost him eight games. To recall, he missed three matches in a row back in mid-November after he initially sustained the injury against the Denver Nuggets. He has been bothered by the issue ever since.

Hopefully when he returns, Doncic is already fully healthy and has totally recovered from the problem. After all, the Mavs can't afford to lose him any longer with the playoff race in the West heating up. If Dallas continues to fall, it might be difficult for them to catch up to the rest of the competition.

The Mavs are 2-6 in games that Doncic did not play in, which speaks volume on his importance to the squad and their ability to win. The 22-year-old is Dallas' closer, and without him, it has just been a mess.