Not that there’s a good time to have your two best players sitting on the bench in designer outfits, but for the struggling Mavericks it came at a very inopportune moment.
Luka Dončić and Kristaps Porzingis both missed Saturday’s game against Memphis at American Airlines Center. For a team that had lost six of its last eight, it is terrible timing.
But what is of greater importance is just how long the two stars will be unavailable.
Coach Jason Kidd said that the medical update only applies to Saturday’s game. Dončić is dealing with left ankle soreness, a lingering problem from the left knee and ankle sprains that kept him out for three games before Thanksgiving.
The Mavericks lost all three. They also lost Saturday’s match against the Grizzlies, 97-90.
Porzingis missed his second game in a row with a left knee contusion. He now has missed seven of the 22 games this season.
Kidd said Dončić had an MRI on Saturday. He did not reveal the results of that exam.
“Left ankle soreness,” Kidd said. “He missed three games with this injury. He’s been sore. This has been a busy stretch of games for us. So we’ll see how he feels tomorrow (Sunday) and proceed that way.”
Porzingis, who missed five games in late October/early November with lower back tightness, is continuing to receive treatment.
As with Dončić, no timetable exists for Porzingis. The Mavericks’ next game is Tuesday against the Eastern Conference-leading Brooklyn Nets.
The Mavericks are hoping that they can survive the loss of their two top scorers and rebounders. Often, a team can get by in the short term with a manpower shortage as other players step up their games.
“It happens in this league where your star players are out and the rest of your team comes together,” Kidd said before Saturday’s game. “Hopefully that’s what we have.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. No one’s going to feel sorry for us because of injuries. We still have a job to do and that’s to find a way to win.”
Kidd said that Dončić did not aggravate his ankle problem in Friday’s 107-91 loss to New Orleans. But there were a couple of occasions when the 6-7 point guard doubled over and clutched his left ankle.
After the loss to the Pelicans, when asked specifically about whether he was feeling the brunt of physical play, Dončić said: ““I think you guys could see it. I’ll leave it there.”
Kidd said the goal is to use this time as a springboard to explore different ways to utilize other players.
“We’ve been here before,” he said. “We were here in Phoenix . . . without Luka. It just is what it is. You have to deal with injuries. You have to deal with COVID. We haven’t had COVID yet. We still feel we have enough firepower to compete.
“This can only make us better as we go forward, but we’re only focused on tonight and trying to win that first possession and go from there.”
The Mavericks also were without Willie Cauley-Stein, who remains out while tending to a personal matter.
Twitter: @ESefko
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