Luka Dončić to Undergo MRI on Thigh Injury; Mavericks Star Says 'It's Not Good'

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić was ruled out of Wednesday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans after suffering a left thigh strain, per TNT and Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.

"It's not good," the guard said after the game, via ESPN's Andrew Lopez.

Dončić is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday, but he said the injury had been lingering since the team's Feb. 23 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

"I think it was the second game after the All-Star break," he said. "Something like that."

Before being ruled out before the start of the fourth quarter in Wednesday's loss, he notched 15 points, three rebounds and eight assists in 28 minutes.

Dončić has been mostly healthy this season. However, he missed a stretch of four games from Feb. 4-10 with a heel ailment before returning to the lineup on Feb. 11 against the Sacramento Kings.

The 24-year-old is in the midst of a career season, averaging 33.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.0 assists in 56 games while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor and 35.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Dončić had been heavily relied upon to carry the Mavericks through the first half of the season, but then the franchise went out and acquired Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets at the Feb. 9 trade deadline, taking a lot of pressure off the Slovenian.

When Dončić is sidelined, Irving, Frank Ntilikina and Justin Holiday are relied upon to step up and help fill the scoring void.

The Mavericks entered Wednesday's game fifth in the Western Conference with a 34-32 record. With Irving now aboard, they'll need Dončić to remain healthy in order to capitalize on their full potential.