Dallas Mavericks MVP candidate Luka Doncic set to undergo MRI on strained thigh
‘Not good’: Dallas Mavericks MVP candidate Luka Doncic will undergo an MRI for a thigh strain after leaving the game against the Pelicans in the third quarter
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic will undergo an MRI on Thursday for his left thigh strain.
Doncic left the game midway through the third quarter with the injury and it was obvious he had been playing through pain all night.
When asked about his thigh after the game, Doncic said: ‘It’s not good. It’s been running for a week, maybe more. I can’t really push my leg.
‘Getting into my running rhythm, I can feel it. But especially in jump shots. You need both legs. So pushing has been difficult.
“Especially in the third,” he added. “It hurt more and more, where I could barely run.”
Luka Doncic will undergo an MRI on his injured thigh after leaving the game early
He entered the game with a strained thigh that had been bothering him since the previous week.
Doncic said his thigh originally started bothering him when he woke up after a game last week and it hurt, and then it got progressively worse.
“I think we can all see that he’s not moving well,” head coach Jason Kidd said. Shooting, defense. It is affecting everything. He is trying to get over it and help his teammates. But he had to get out of there.
‘Let’s hope it’s not something serious. We have a couple of days here before we play in Memphis. Hopefully he’s back soon.
To make matters worse, Doncic committed his 15th technical foul of the season after questioning a referee about a foul. If he receives another, he will receive a one game suspension.
“No, I didn’t get an explanation,” Doncic said. ‘I only asked them to mark a foul. I shouldn’t say anything, I’m really trying to do better.
‘For me, it’s difficult because of my passion. I’m trying to help win games so I have to do better.”
Dallas is currently tied for seventh place in the NBA Western Conference with a 34-33 record.
Doncic could be seen struggling to move as he tried to play through the mounting pain.