The Dallas Mavericks were given the scare of their life on Saturday, with sophomore sensation Luka Doncic rolling his ankle badly in the first quarter of the Mavs' matchup against the Miami Heat. Dallas failed to hold off a resilient Heat side sans their young superstar, with Miami escaping with a 122-118 overtime victory in Texas.

Eerily, this injury actually holds a lot of similarities with pretty much the exact same injury suffered by Dallas big man Kristaps Porzingis two years ago.

Article Continues Below
More Dallas Mavericks News
Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) dribbles the ball against the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center.
Will Cooper Flagg be Mavericks’ point guard until Kyrie Irving returns from injury?Joey Mistretta ·
Mavericks Luka Doncic on left, Mavericks Cooper Flagg on right, stop light in the middle on red.
Why the Cooper Flagg-Luka Doncic comparisons must come to an endJoey Mistretta ·
mavericks, dallas mavericks, d'angelo russell
The player Dallas Mavericks must avoid in 2025 NBA free agencyGarrett Kerman ·
Cooper Flagg talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago.
Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals his favorite WNBA player’s gameAbdullah Imran ·
Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving talks with Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) after the game against the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center.
Wings’ Paige Bueckers reveals how Kyrie Irving inspired ‘unguardable’ motivationJoey Mistretta ·
Dallas Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg speaks to the media during a press conference at the Dallas Mavericks Practice Facility.
Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg makes first Dallas appearance at Wings-Fever clashRichard Pereira ·

Those are some pretty big coincidences right there, and there's not much else we can say in trying to explain how this came to be. Nevertheless, the most important takeaway here is that it was nothing more than a minor injury for Porzingis a couple of years back, so hopefully, the same will hold true for Luka Doncic.

Initial reports suggest that the reigning Rookie of the Year suffered a moderate ankle sprain, and if this is the case, then Mavs fans can definitely breathe a collective sigh of relief right now. More often than not, this type of injury does not require a lengthy layoff, and considering the fact that Doncic is just 20 years of age, his body should be able to recover quickly.

Nevertheless, until we get an official statement from the Dallas front office, we will need to remain optimistic about this unfortunate incident. It would be an absolute shame if an injury gets in the way of what is quickly becoming an historic season for 6-foot-7 forward, so at this point, prayers up for Luka.