The Dallas Mavericks' recent woes could be exacerbated by the loss of two-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic. Marc Stein confirmed that Doncic is expected to miss multiple games with persistent ankle soreness. There's no timetable for his return, but he will miss the Mavs' contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.
Mavs star Luka Don?i? is expected to miss multiple games due to persistent left ankle soreness that has already ruled him out tonight in Oklahoma City, league sources say.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 12, 2021
A precise timetable is still being determined, sources say, as Dallas enters a Sunday/Monday back-to-back.
Doncic remains an invaluable contributor for the Mavs, leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists, averaging 25.6, 8.0, and 8.5 per game, respectively. Those metrics have staked Doncic to the team lead in Box Plus/Minus and Value Over Replacement Player, as calculated by Basketball-Reference.
Jalen Brunson will move into the starting point guard role with Doncic unavailable. Brunson has appeared in 24 games, starting six, averaging 14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. FanDuel has Brunson's salary listed at $5,800 on express slates tonight.
The Mavs have just three wins over their past 12 games, and they enter tonight's contest as -4 favorites against the Thunder.
