Report: Mavs bracing for Doncic to miss extended time

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic exited his team's Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves after suffering a left calf strain.

The team is reportedly preparing for an extended absence for its star, who left the stadium on crutches, Shams Charania of ESPN reports. He'll undergo an MRI on Thursday.

Doncic sustained the injury late in the second quarter on a noncontact play. He came up lame and grabbed his leg after starting to drive on Jaden McDaniels. The Slovenian star immediately went to the locker room with a noticeable limp.

The Mavericks didn't provide any further updates about the nature of his injury.

Doncic scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds in 16 minutes before sustaining the injury. The 25-year-old had missed two of Dallas' last three games because of a left heel contusion.

The Mavericks mounted a furious comeback attempt without Doncic in the fourth quarter but ultimately fell short in a 105-99 defeat.