Dallas Mavs Injury Notes: Luka Doncic OUT vs. Detroit Pistons; Kyrie Irving Full Practice Participant
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks have one preseason game remaining on Friday in a matchup against the Detroit Pistons at American Airlines Center. The game will be played without Luka Doncic active as he continues to heal from a mild left calf strain.
Doncic had an MRI done after returning to the United States from the Mavs' 12-day international trip that featured stops in Abu Dhabi and Madrid. He will be re-evaluated later this week to determine a possible timetable for his return.
"Luka injured his calf at our practice in Madrid, and that's why he played limited minutes [against Real Madrid]," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said on Monday. "He had an MRI when he got back home, so he has a mild strain to the left calf, and he will miss Friday's game but will be re-evaluated later this week."
Regarding Doncic's activity level on Monday, Kidd noted the Slovenian superstar rode the bike and did some spot shooting but nothing more.
"He rode on the bike, and he's done some spot shooting, and that's it," Kidd said of Doncic.
Dallas Mavs superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving during the 2022-23 season.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Doncic wasn't concerned about his injury while in Madrid, describing it as "nothing serious," and mentioned the team's desire to take a cautious approach with the need to account for an 82-game regular season.
"It was my calf yesterday in practice, nothing serious," Doncic said in Madrid. "They just don't want to make it worse, you know? I tried to go and talk to the front office people, but you know me, I wish I played 40 minutes but couldn't."
The Mavs have faced limited opportunities to deploy Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Grant Williams on the floor together through three preseason games. Dallas had each of its three confirmed starters on the floor together for just six minutes of the preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Abu Dhabi.
“Yeah, those two have to get time under their belt,” Kidd said. “They only have six minutes, but practice with those two out there was good before that. Unfortunately, with injuries, they both have missed each other so far. So hopefully, we can get that right come the 25th.”
Irving missed the Mavs' two previous preseason games with a groin injury, but he was a full participant in Monday's practice. The team will determine how Irving feels before issuing a status update for his participation against the Pistons.
"Kyrie is nursing his sore left groin. He was in full participation and practice today, so he was good," Kidd said. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow and go from there."
The Mavs open the regular season on Oct. 25 with a road matchup against a San Antonio Spurs team featuring Victor Wembanyama.
