Luka Dončić Could Miss More of the Mavericks Season With Sprained Ankle

Since he joined the NBA in 2018, Luka Dončić's ankle has been a big problem for the Dallas Mavericks. The four-time NBA All-Star has suffered several sprains throughout his career, most recently dealing with left ankle soreness. Luckily, he hasn't missed too many games in the 2022-23 season; however, that could be changing since his injury seems to be getting worse.

During the Mavericks game against the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 26, the superstar baller walked off the floor in the first quarter with an apparent ankle sprain. Is he OK? Here's everything we know about what happened and an update on Luka's injury.

Just a few minutes into the game, Luka stepped on a Suns player's foot while pivoting. He hobbled around the court until the Mavericks called a timeout to take the 23-year-old point guard out of the game. Luka immediately limped to the locker room alongside Casey Smith, the Mavs director of player health and performance.

At the end of the first quarter, TNT's Chris Haynes reported Luka suffered a left ankle sprain. He noted that the X-rays were negative, but the athlete was ruled out for the rest of the game.

Following the Mavs' 99-95 victory over the Suns, head coach and 10-time NBA All-Star Jason Kidd offered an update about Luka's injury during his postgame press conference: "He looked good, looked fine," he said, per The Dallas Morning News. "But we'll see how he feels as we go forward here. We'll have probably more information once we get to Utah."

For those unaware, the Mavs play the Utah Jazz on Saturday, Jan. 28.

"He was smiling," Jason added, "and he was happy for his teammates, saying [Dwight Powell] made some big free throws but then to come up with that missed free throw rebound. Just his grit tonight for DP was at a high level. The character of that team played hard and found a way to win."

Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who led the team to victory with a season-high 36 points, also spoke with the media about Luka's injury, hinting that the Slovenian athlete will come back good as new.

"I don't know if he'll be back next game, or if he'll miss a couple or something like that," Spencer said, per The Dallas Morning News, "but it ain't no cause for where we're like, 'Oh no, we're about to go on a 10-game stretch without LD.' He's going to heal up nicely. He's a young kid. Although he likes to think he's old, he's not."

We don't know about you, but we can't wait to see Luka back on the court!