Luka Dončić injury update: Mavs star out at least one month with calf strain

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić will be reevaluated in a month due to a left calf strain, ESPN reported late Thursday night.

The five-time All-Star suffered the injury on Wednesday during a 105-99 loss to the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves. After straining his calf during a seemingly innocuous play in the second quarter, Dončić went to the locker room and missed the entire second half.

Dončić underwent an MRI examination on Thursday and received input from several sources.

Before leaving the game, the 25-year-old native of Slovenia had 14 points, five rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes. ESPN reported that Dončić needed crutches to leave the arena.

The Mavericks return to action on Friday against the Phoenix Suns in the opener of a four-game road trip. The Mavs then complete a back-to-back by taking on the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday before closing out the calendar year with a Monday night battle against the Sacramento Kings.

Dončić has played 22 games this season, so he would need to play at least 43 more to qualify for MVP or other league honors. If Dončić could not return earlier than a month, he would not be below 65.

He is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 boards and 7.8 assists this season. He is shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from long range.

Dončić has been plagued by injuries all season. He missed two straight games last week and five consecutive games at the end of November. He has been sidelined for a total of eight games.

Dallas fell to 19-11 with the loss on Wednesday.