Mavs' Luka Doncic Admits Quad Injury Carries 'A Little Bit of Concern' After Win vs. Warriors
SAN FRANCISCO — After recording 39 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists in the Dallas Mavericks' 132-122 win over the Golden State Warriors, Luka Doncic acknowledged some concern about his left quad injury, which has been an issue since after the NBA All-Star break of last season.
Doncic was a game-time decision after being listed as questionable with left quad soreness. The injury caused him to miss the team's loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their previous game. Before determining his status, he had to test out how he felt in a pre-game workout. However, he "started feeling it again" in the third quarter.
"Yeah, I tried it," Doncic said. "I think at first I was really good. Then, in the third quarter, I started feeling it again. That's why I had to warm up to see how it was."
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Doncic acknowledged his quad injury is the one he has dealt with since March of last year, making there "a little bit of concern" about the injury.
"Obviously, there's a concern because it has been since March last year, obviously there's a concern," Doncic said.
In managing the injury, Doncic highlighted the importance of staying consistent with his work in the weight room since that's proven helpful.
"I'm just trying to keep lifting in the weight room," Doncic said. "That helps me a lot, so I have to do that every day now, so that helps me. But obviously, there's a little bit of concern on my side."
Before the Mavs loss against the Timberwolves on Thursday, coach Jason Kidd acknowledged that Doncic had "aggravated" his left quad during his historic performance against the Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day.
"I think just with his left quad soreness, he aggravated it in the Christmas game," Kidd said of Doncic's injury. "This is not enough time to recover on a back-to-back, so he's out."
During the NBA offseason, Doncic led the Slovenian national team to a record seventh-place finish at the FIBA World Cup despite his quad injury. He's continued to perform tremendously with the Mavs, averaging 33.9 points, 9.3 assists, and 8.4 rebounds in 30 games this season.
The concern is that without having Kyrie Irving available for 12 consecutive games due to a right heel contusion, Doncic's workload has been increased. He's averaged 38.0 points, 10.5 assists, and 8.5 rebounds in that span but has been tasked with playing 39.4 minutes per game.
Doncic's quad sustains throughout the remainder of the season will be something to monitor as the Mavs seek a strong bounce-back after a 38-44 finish to the 2023-24 season, failing to qualify for the play-in tournament.
