A dunk attempt turned disastrous for Luka Doncic and the Mavericks on Thursday night.
With seven minutes left in the third quarter and the Mavericks leading by 27, Doncic went left around a screen before accelerating — and elevating — toward the basket for a dunk. But Doncic made contact with Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas as Brandon Ingram blocked his attempt, forcing Doncic to fall to the ground and eventually exit with a right heel contusion.
Doncic stayed in the game after taking a hard fall when he was winding up for a one-handed dunk and Ingram knocked the ball out of his hand as Doncic was bumped by Jonas Valanciunas.
Ingram was called for a foul, and New Orleans successfully challenged. Doncic returned after the break for the review, but after one trip down the court, the 23-year-old star screamed in frustration as he limped to the locker room without looking at the Dallas bench.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” coach Jason Kidd said. “I think no matter what the score was, he wasn’t coming back.”
Before his exit, Doncic already had scored 31 points in nearly 23 minutes of playing time. That marked the “fewest minutes he’s played in a 30-point game in his career,” according to ESPN Stats & Info. The Mavericks led New Orleans by 27 points when Doncic left, but the Pelicans ultimately stormed back before Dallas hung on for a 111-106 victory.
Doncic’s past week already had included a game missed (ankle) and a 53-point outburst against the Pistons, where he connected on 17-of-24 shots and made 5-of-11 3-pointers in Dallas’ win.
In his fifth NBA season, the former No. 3 overall selection has averaged 33.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game, with four 50-point games — including one 60-point outburst against the Knicks on Dec. 27.
With the win Thursday night, Dallas moved 28-25 this season, still situated within the Western Conference playoff standings, while New Orleans fell to 26-27. The status of the Mavericks’ star, though, will loom large heading into showdowns against the Warriors and Jazz — both competing for the conference’s final postseason spots — on Saturday and Monday, respectively.
— with AP
