Mavs superstar Luka Doncic teases when he'll return from injury

Dallas Mavericks star point guard Luka Doncic is still recovering from a thigh injury that's kept him out for three games and counting.

Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic has missed the team's last three games with a left thigh strain.

However, while the Mavs have went 1-2 in those contests, the perennial All-Star will remain out of the lineup when the Mavericks face the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. Declaring himself day-to-day with his thigh injury, Doncic says he hopes to play against the Memphis Grizzlies in Dallas' next game (Monday, Mar. 20), per Callie Caplan of Dallas News.

Doncic has had another outstanding season for the Mavericks in 2022-23, averaging 33.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field. Unfortunately for Dallas, Doncic is not the only important player missing from the lineup, as All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and wing Tim Hardaway Jr. are also questionable against the Lakers.

With a 35-35 record, the Mavs are 8th in the Western Conference standings but every game matters as the regular season is only a couple of weeks away from ending. After acquiring Irving and talented big man Christian Wood over the past year as they sought to replace current New York Knicks cornerstone Jalen Brunson and Washington Wizards building block Kristaps Porzingis, there are no excuses for the Mavericks.

Last season, Dallas finished with a 52-30 record before falling 1-4 to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

As far as the regular season stands, the Mavs are already far behind the pace they set last season. However, every season comes with different challenges. After trying to navigate without a high-quality backcourt mate for the bulk of the regular season, Dallas is now dealing with an injury bug.