Report: Luka Doncic expected to make return for Dallas Mavericks on Friday

Micah Adams

Report: Luka Doncic expected to make return for Dallas Mavericks on Friday image

The Dallas Mavericks are expected to receive a major boost on Friday with ESPN's Tim McMahon reporting that Luka Doncic will return against the San Antonio Spurs.

 

Doncic sprained his ankle less than two minutes into the Mavericks' loss to the Miami Heat back on December 15. Dallas lost that game and then went 2-2 in the four games he missed following the injury against Miami. Doncic's injury coincided with a tough stretch against the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

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The 2-2 split would have been impressive even with the second-year superstar in the lineup. Dallas alternated wins and losses, first ending the Milwaukee Bucks' 18-game win streak on the road before losing by six at home to the Boston Celtics. They then went to Philadelphia and clobbered the 76ers by 19 points before then losing a wild one on the road at Toronto in a game they led by as many as 30 points in the second half.

The Mavericks were paced by Kristaps Porzingis during Doncic's absence as the Latvian averaged 22.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game.

At 19-10, the Mavericks currently sit in fifth place in the hyper-competitive Western Conference despite owning the best scoring margin of any team in the conference.

Doncic is in the midst of a breakout season in which he's averaging 29.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game and leads the league with eight triple-doubles. There might not be a better team for Doncic to return against than the Spurs against whom he had 42 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists earlier this season.

The views expressed here do not represent those of the NBA or its clubs.

Micah Adams

Micah Adams Photo

Micah Adams is a Managing Editor and Head of Affiliate and Commercial Content at Sporting News. Prior to joining SN in 2021, Adams spent over a decade producing and leading content teams at ESPN, DAZN and The Social Institute. Adams graduated from Duke University in 2009 and remains a Cameron Crazie at heart well into his 30s. When not losing sleep or hair over the Blue Devils, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bulls, and USMNT, Adams enjoys chasing his two small children around along with his wife, losing golf balls, spending time outdoors and binging terrible movies.