PHOENIX — How long might Luka Doncic be out after suffering a left ankle sprain during the Mavericks win over the Suns on Thursday night?
Coach Jason Kidd didn’t give specifics after the game, and sources told The Dallas Morning News on Friday that the star was day to day.
Doncic’s history with ankle sprains doesn’t provide a clear estimate, either.
This season, the Mavericks have ruled out Doncic with left ankle soreness on the second night of their last two back-to-backs (Jan. 8 against the Thunder and Jan. 15 against the Trail Blazers), but the label served more as a ailment-designation for scheduled rest and recovery than for an overt injury.
Last season, Doncic missed three games after spraining his left knee and ankle in the final minute of the Mavericks’ Nov. 15 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Doncic returned after eight days, but didn’t appear to be at full strength. He then sat out the second night of a back-to-back Dec. 4 in Memphis with left ankle soreness, and three games later, he missed six consecutive outings with left ankle soreness again. An overlapping bout with COVID-19 kept him out 10 consecutive games, allowing extra time for ankle recovery and reconditioning.
He also sprained his left ankle during Game 3 of the 2020 playoffs in the NBA bubble and played through the injury for the remainder of the first-round series against the Clippers.
Doncic has sprained his right ankle three times in the last three years, missing one game last season (Jan. 7, 2022, against the Rockets), seven in January-February 2020 and four in December 2019.
