outsider star Luka Doncic suffered a left calf strain late in the second quarter in Wednesday’s loss to Minnesota and was out for the remainder of the contest, the team announced (via Twitter).

According to The Athletic’s Christian Clark, Doncic, who missed a few games last week with a bruised left heel, admitted he wasn’t fully healthy after returning to action on Monday.

“It’s okayDoncic said. “I’m just trying to get through it. But today it felt good. After the first quarter (of Monday’s game) it felt better. I’m just getting warm. It felt good. Will get through it.”

The 25-year-old was initially listed as likely to play with a heel problem before being listed as available for today’s game.

Doncic appeared to have sustained the injury driving into the lane while being defended Jaden McDaniels (Twitter video links). There was no contact with his left leg during the game. After the Mavs called a timeout, he was able to hobble off the field under his own power, albeit slowly.

As ESPN’s Tim Bontemps tweets, Doncic has already missed eight games this season, so a prolonged absence due to the 65-game rule would jeopardize his chances of All-NBA or MVP honors. The Slovenian superstar has a history of calf injuries and has typically missed several weeks in those cases, notes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

While it’s obviously unfortunate that Doncic got hurt, even if he ends up missing too many games to qualify for major postseason awards, it won’t impact him much financially since he already meets the criteria for a super-max -Extension has been fulfilled by reaching all-NBA teams each of the last two seasons, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Doncic, who was named to the All-NBA First Team for five straight seasons, will officially be eligible for a Designated Veteran contract extension in the summer of 2025 after completing his seventh season.

In 21 games this season, Doncic averaged 28.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 8.1 assists and a career-high 2.0 steals in 36.6 minutes per contest, with a .462/.348 shooting line. 766.

With Doncic out for an unknown amount of time, Quentin Grimes And Spencer Dinwiddie are among the Mavericks who could receive more playing time and contact with the ball.