Mavericks star Luka Dončić leaves Christmas loss to Timberwolves early with left calf injury

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić left Wednesday’s 105-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a left calf injury.

Dončić, in the second quarter of the Christmas Day matchup at the American Airlines Center, was making a move at the elbow when he suddenly pulled up and passed the ball away. He then immediately started limping, and he seemed distraught as play went the other way.

Dončić eventually walked off the court and into the locker room under his own power, but he was limping significantly as he did so.

The Mavericks ruled Dončić out at halftime with a left calf injury. Further specifics are not yet known, though he was dealing with a calf strain he first sustained during the preseason. Dončić made it back from that injury in time to start the regular season.

Dončić finished with 14 points and five rebounds in 16 minutes. He shot 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. The 25-year-old entered the game averaging just shy of 29 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.1 assists per contest this season.

The Timberwolves surged ahead in the second quarter to take a 17-point lead into the break. They held Dallas to just 16 points in the period, too, and then pushed their lead to 26 points in the third quarter. Dallas, however, opened the final period on a 31-11 tear and made it a one possession game in the final minute. That push, though, came too late. Minnesota held on down the stretch, thanks to a pair of huge buckets from Anthony Edwards, to grab the six-point win.

Edwards led the Timberwolves with 26 points and eight rebounds in the win, which pushed them to 15-14 on the season. Julius Randle finished just shy of a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Kyrie Irving led Dallas in Dončić’s absence. He dropped 39 points and shot 14-of-27 from the field in the loss. Klay Thompson added 12 points on four 3-pointers. The Mavericks will take on the Phoenix Suns next on Friday, which will start a four-game road trip.