Mavericks' Luka Dončić to have an MRI on injured left thigh

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić will undergo an MRI on Thursday after leaving the team’s 113-106 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday due to an ongoing left thigh injury.

“I could barely run,” Dončić said.

Dončić left after the third quarter after missing a step-back jumper. He played 28 minutes and recorded 15 points, eight assists and three rebounds.

Dončić mentioned that the injury has been bothering him for more than a week and he did not know when it happened. He noticed it when he woke up the day after a game.

“I didn’t get hit. So it’s a little weird for me,” he said. “I don’t really know what it is.”

He’s hoping Thursday’s MRI doesn’t reveal a major injury and physical therapy will help him return in time for his team’s playoff push. The Mavericks now have a 34-33 record and are just about in the Western Conference playoff picture.

While playing through the recent injury, Dončić scored 42 points in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers last Thursday, 34 points in a loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday and 29 points in a win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.

Reporters, teammates and coaches noticed that Dončić did not look like his usual self.

“We can all see that he’s not moving well. So the shooting, the defense, it’s affecting everything,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He tries to fight and help his teammates, but he had to get out of there, and hopefully it’s not something serious.”

Dončić said the injury affects his ability to run and shoot jump shots.

This is his fifth NBA season and he leads Dallas in scoring, averaging 33.3 points per game before Wednesday. He has averaged 27.6 points and eight assists in his five-year NBA career.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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