DALLAS – After losing Luka Doncic to a left calf strain, an injury that sources told ESPN could sideline the superstar for an extended period, the Mavericks’ desire for a Christmas miracle comeback fell just short.

The Minnesota Timberwolves escaped American Airlines Center with a 105-99 victory on Wednesday after the Mavs reduced a 28-point second-half deficit to a one-possession lead in the final minute.

That was no consolation for a Dallas squad that expects its perennial MVP candidate to miss multiple games. According to sources, Doncic is expected to undergo an MRI scan on Thursday to determine the severity of his calf strain.

“It definitely hurts for all of us,” said Mavs co-star Kyrie Irving, who scored a game-high 39 points to give the Mavs a chance to win without Doncic. “I pray for Luka that he can recover quickly. Whatever the schedule, we have to adapt. That is in the nature of things. Hopefully he’ll just take his time and come back when he’s ready.”

Irving scored 26 points after Doncic was out for the rest of the game at halftime, including 15 in the fourth quarter, matching Minnesota’s point total in the final frame. With 36.1 seconds left, he attempted a pull-up 3-pointer that would have given the Mavs the lead. The shot ricocheted off the front edge and was deflected by Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards, who drove in the daggerboard on the ensuing possession.

“We put ourselves in the right position,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “He had a good look at the 3. It was short, but we’ll take that shot all day.”

Doncic left late in the second quarter after grimacing in pain as he sat on his left foot after dribbling. He immediately looked toward the Mavs bench to indicate he was injured and unable to return to defense.

After the Timberwolves scored, the Mavs called a timeout with 2:31 left in the first half to allow Doncic to leave the game. He limped into the locker room for further examination and was ejected a few minutes later.

Doncic used crutches as he left the arena after the game, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Doncic has already missed eight games this season due to various injuries. He missed playing time because of a bruised right knee, a sprained right wrist and a bruised left heel and was forced to miss two games in Monday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers because of a heel injury.

“Hopefully this is his last (injury) and hopefully it’s not too serious,” Kidd said.

Doncic has a history of injuries to this calf. Most recently, he missed the entire training camp and preseason this year due to a bruised left calf. It’s the third time Doncic has strained his calf in recent years. He missed the first three games of the 2022 playoffs after suffering a strain in the regular-season finale and was sidelined for most of the preseason last year after suffering a strain during a practice in Madrid.

Doncic, a first-team All-NBA selection the past five seasons, scored 14 points in 16 minutes against Minnesota. He entered the game averaging 28.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game.

The Mavs (19-11) have been successful without Doncic this season. Dallas is 6-2 in games Doncic has missed, including a loss that also sidelined Irving.

The Mavs outscored the Timberwolves 31-11 in the first 11 minutes of the fourth quarter, giving Dallas a chance to claim its most unlikely win of the season.

It would have been a catastrophic setback for the Timberwolves (15-14), who had lost their last three games and had been plagued by a stagnant offense in critical situations all season. Minnesota was 4 of 19 from the floor in the fourth quarter on Wednesday until Edwards hit a pair of shots on drives in the final 1:17.

“I don’t want to sound ignorant, but just give me the rock,” said Edwards, who scored 26 points on 11 of 24 shooting. “We’ll manage it. I feel like you’re just going to put the ball in my hands and live and die with what happens.”