Things were going well for the Dallas Mavericks until they found coal in their stockings on Christmas day when Luka Doncic was felled with a serious calf injury.
DALLAS — After a deep postseason that saw Luka Doncic effectively lead all offensive categories into his first NBA Finals run, followed by only a brief summer rest before competing for Slovenia at the Olympics, the wear and tear on the franchise star finally saw the “check engine” light turn on.
Dallas received a blow to their 2025 chances on Christmas Day when Doncic left the Western Conference Finals rematch against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a left calf strain, logging just 16 minutes in the loss. Doncic, currently the West’s top scoring guard, will be away from action through January, effectively removing him from MVP consideration and leaving the Mavericks facing a tough test to start the new year.
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Luckily for Dallas, this was a scenario that they are better prepared for than at any point in Doncic’s career. The ability to weather a Luka absence remains promising after the front office spent the last couple of years trying to build competitive depth around their star point guard.
Their gritty 98-89 win over the Phoenix Suns in their first game without Doncic showed that depth and their resolve. Five Mavs reached double digits and none scored more than 20 as spreading the looks proved fruitful.
More importantly, with the tough road ahead, the team showed that they have each other’s backs when they scuffled with Suns’ enforcer Jusef Nurkic. That P.J. Washington and Naji Marshall came to Daniel Gafford’s aid during that tussle might have landed them suspensions , but it also was the type of rallying point that can take them through the upcoming gauntlet as they await their anchor.
It won’t be easy, of course, not without Doncic who often acts as the engine that makes the offense go as one the league’s best players. To that point, even with the win over Phoenix, the team is 1-2 since losing Doncic. The good news is they’ve remained competitive, losing by no more than six points in either loss, but their vaunted depth is starting to get challenged.
Dereck Lively II, Washington, and Marshall missed Friday night’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, leading to increased minutes for end-of-bench players Dwight Powell, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and Maxi Kleber. Marshall will miss three additional games serving his suspension for punching Nurkic, with Kyrie Irving continuing his ascension to team leader by covering the fines.
Irving will also be looked at to shoulder the load of go-to threat in Doncic’s absence, which will make watching his minutes crucial to avoid the wheels falling off come playoff time for the 32-year-old.
Irving played 37 minutes against Minnesota and 40 in the Phoenix win before logging 26 shots in just under 40 minutes against the Blazers. His effort in Portland was the highest-scoring night of the season for Irving, attaining 46 points after dropping 39 on Christmas.
The absurd career-high shooting percentages continued for Irving, with 62% from two, 41% from deep, and a perfect 100% on free throws. Irving has been superb this season, sandwiched between Doncic and De’Aaron Fox among the Western Conference leaders in scoring for guards.
Dallas enters the final week of 2024 with a 20-12 record, fourth in the standings in the West, and two games out of second. They’ve done well to show that their run in the playoffs wasn’t a fluke. Now they’ll have to show that they’ve built a team that can still win games even without Doncic. Keeping their run going in Luka’s absence may not hand Irving his own MVP votes, but he will surely deserve a ninth All-Star appearance, which would be his first as a Maverick.
Dallas has one more date with 2024 in a Monday night matchup versus the rudderless Kings. Sacramento is 12th in the West and has just dismissed the reigning NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown in an effort to keep superstar Fox in the fold.
The Mavs will then welcome the new year with a contest against the surprising third-place Houston Rockets in a New Year’s Day duel that begins their January marathon, the first of 16 games in 31 days without Doncic.
Do you think the Mavs can survive the upcoming onslaught without their All-NBA star? Share your thoughts with Irvin on Bluesky @irvin.bsky.social.