Ahead of facing the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will likely play on Christmas Day. Despite scoring a team-high 27 points in the Mavs' 132-108 win against the Portland Trail Blazers, Doncic is dealing with a left heel contusion that led to his name popping up on the team's injury report ahead of Wednesday's matchup.

Before the game, Doncic was seen peeking into his Christmas Day stocking before placing items into it, per NBA's X, formerly Twitter.

The Mavericks enter Wednesday's Christmas Day matchup against the Timberwolves winners of 10 of their previous 12 games. They've seemingly found their stride in 2024-25 while slowly climbing up the Western Conference standings, where the Mavs are in fourth place. Dallas trails the Memphis Grizzlies by half a game.

Mavericks get injury updates for Christmas Day game

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic's return from injury for Monday's win against the Portland Trail Blazers signaled a step in the right direction, as he's considered probable for Wednesday's matchup. However, he's not the only player listed as Jaden Hardy, and the Mavericks received good news before their Christmas Day matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Hardy hasn't played since December 5 due to a right ankle sprain. However, his status has upgraded to questionable.

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Before starting the regular season, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd expressed confidence in his third-year guard. Kidd, anticipating a breakout campaign, said Hardy's growth as a player is unlimited, per Mavericks.com.

“The ceiling is, there is no ceiling,” Kidd said. “That's up to him and the work that he puts in. We'll see where he ends up. He's a young player, he's worked extremely hard on his craft, and he's getting better each year.”

Hardy averaged 7.3 points in 13.5 minutes last season in 73 games. This year, he's struggled to find a significant stride, averaging 6.5 points on 39.1% shooting, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 22 games. Still, that won't discourage Kidd from turning to his young guard early and often throughout the year.

“Healthy, he can still be part of that rotation and not start because of the names that are ahead of him,” Kidd added. “But he's had an incredible training camp up until this point. We look forward to him playing minutes and being a part of that rotation.”

Hardy averages 14.5 minutes and has started two of the Mavericks' games this season. Doncic, Hardy, and the Mavs will face the Timberwolves at 2:30 EST on Christmas Day as part of the NBA's five-game Christmas Day slate.