Injury to Luka Dončić the major takeaway from loss to Timberwolves

As news about the latest injury to Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Dončić began to sink in, shooting guard Kyrie Irving digested the enormity of the situation.

Dončić strained his left calf on a non-contact play late in the second quarter of Wednesday’s 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. And the Mavs know if they want to get to where they want to get to, they need a healthy Dončić in order to help make that happen.

“I’m praying for Luka just to have a speedy recovery,” Irving said. “However long the timetable is, we’re going to have to adjust.

“It’s just the nature of the business. Hopefully he just takes his time and comes back when he’s ready.”

Irving described the injury to Dončić as “a crazy play on a holiday like this” that knocked the Mavs off-kilter. However, since the Mavs are 6-2 this season when Dončić has been unable to play due to an injury, they know they have the capabilities to win games without their five-time All-Star, who also missed all four preseason games this year with a left calf contusion.

“We just got to be mature about it and everybody be ready to adjust to the lineups,” Irving said. “Although we are 6-2 (sans Dončić), that number doesn’t really matter to me.

“I’d rather be going to battle with a healthy team, everybody feeling well (and) everybody doing good. But again, it’s the nature of the business. You got to adjust and be ready.”

The Mavs were only down, 48-38, when Dončić got injured. That deficit eventually grew to 88-60 with 2:12 remaining in the third quarter before the Mavs started righting the ship.

“I don’t think we were in shock,” forward Klay Thompson said. “I just don’t think we were playing with the same force that we have for the past four or five games.

“But once we picked up our intensity defensively, we were whole – another animal out there. It’s a good thing to take away, but an unfortunate outcome.”

The Mavs did win a pivotal game at Oklahoma City (121-119) when Dončić was out nursing a bruised right knee. They also won at Denver (123-120), at Atlanta (129-119) and at home against the New York Knicks (129-114) when Dončić was recovering from a sprained right wrist.

Thus, the Mavs’ very deep and talented bench – along with their intestinal fortitude — will be severely tested while Dončić is on the mend. And they also know outscoring the Timberwolves, 39-17, over the final 14-plus minutes of Wednesday’s game can be used as a barometer for what they’re capable of achieving.

“Just play selfless basketball and realize Kyrie is going to take us home,” Thompson said. “He’s our closer, but for everybody else on the team it’s just about getting in good rhythm and trusting one another and playing hard, especially defensively.

“It’s just an opportunity for one of us to step up, so it can be done, and we look forward to this time without (Dončić). He’s obviously our best player, but we’ve got to be tested, and this is a good test ahead of us.”

Here are the takeaways from the six-point loss to the Timberwolves.

 A KYRIE IRVING TAKEOVER: With Doncic done for the night late in the second quarter, Irving knew the lion’s share of the scoring for the Mavs would have to come from him. And boy did he delivered. Irving tallied 26 of the 59 second-half points the Mavs scored, including 11 points in the third quarter and 15 more in the fourth quarter. He finished with a game-high 39 points and was 14-of-27 from the field, including 5-of-14 from three-point range.

THOMPSON MOVES INTO FIFTH PLACE: Mavs forward Klay Thompson was able to get one of the presents he wanted Santa Claus to give him on Christmas. Thompson entered the game needing only three three-pointers to pass Reggie Miller and move into fifth place on the NBA’s coveted list of the most career three-pointers made. Thompson did that – and one better – as he converted four-of-10 shots from downtown and now has 2,562 triples to 2,560 for Miller. The other four players ahead of Thompson are Stephen Curry (3,849), James Harden (3,022), Ray Allen (2,973) and Damian Lillard (2,683).

EDWARDS WAS PIVOTAL: Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is one of a handful of players often talked about as being the next face of the NBA. Well, on Wednesday, he showed that he’s capable of at least carrying a team and showing up during a game’s meaningful moment. With the Mavs only down, 101-99, Edwards drove down the left side of the lane and connected on a (left-handed) layup through traffic which gave Minnesota a 103-99 lead with 18.1 seconds remaining in the game. Edwards scored six of the 15 points Minnesota scored in the fourth quarter and finished with 26 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.

X: @DwainPrice