The Dallas Mavericks have officially ruled Luka Doncic out of Friday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The news comes after Mavs head coach Jason Kidd revealed that Doncic had participated fully in Thursday’s practice alongside Kyrie Irving, sparking some optimism that the Slovenian superstar would be able to suit up for what looms as a pivotal game against the Lakers.

Unfortunately, the Mavs have since confirmed that won’t be the case. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving is questionable for Friday.

This will mark the fourth consecutive game that Luka has missed. Doncic exited the Mavs’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans last week in the third quarter with a thigh injury. In his absence, which has coincided with that of Irving, the Mavs have gone 1-2.

Luka Doncic has endured a number of absences so far this season, though, none of them have yet extended beyond four games. Unsurprisingly, in those games the Mavs have struggled, going 4-9 in the 13 games that he has missed.

That doesn’t bode well for Friday’s affair, a game which could have major repercussions for both teams. The Mavs and the Thunder sit in eighth and tenth respectively in the Western Conference and are separated by just a solitary game. Finishing in the top six, being forced to make their way into the playoffs through the play-in tournament, and missing the playoffs entirely are all distinct possibilities for both teams, and with just 12 games to go in the regular season they need all the wins they can possibly muster.