Mavericks get bad news from Star Guard

Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic walked out of the team’s regular-season finals with a calf injury, and now Dallas may have to start the playoffs without him.

The Dallas Mavericks played their 82nd and final game of the regular season, with some NBA playoff positions at stake. Head coach Jason Kidd had his superstar guard Luka Doncic on the floor late in the game to try to secure the Western Conference No. 4 seed.

Then came the catastrophe.

In the waning moments of the game, when some would have thought it a surefire win for Dallas, Doncic awkwardly landed in traffic and left the game and was taken back to the dressing room. It was later revealed that he was suffering from a calf strain and could potentially miss time in the postseason. Fans, of course, hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the reality. On Thursday, The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania reported that Doncic is likely to miss Saturday’s Game 1 game against the Utah Jazz.

Luka Doncic injury update: Mavericks star ‘expects’ to miss Game 1 against Jazz

It’s not reinventing the wheel to say that it would be devastating if Doncic was never grounded in a playoff series for the Mavericks. Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie have proven to be reliable options but nobody can replace what Doncic brings to this team, especially on offense with his goals and build-up play.

There’s no word on Doncic’s post-Game 1 status at this point, but not having him for this matchup would certainly put Dallas in jeopardy of losing home field advantage in the series against Utah outright.

Without question, Doncic’s injury status will be a key focus throughout the series.