Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Luka Doncic felt discomfort in his knee during the Mavericks' 95-94 loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. Doncic experienced the discomfort while going up for a rebound late in the fourth quarter of the contest. Though he stayed in the game afterward, the Mavericks are expected to check on his status on Monday, according to a report from Dallas News' Gerry Fraley.
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"I just jumped and got a rebound and I felt like a pop," Doncic said after the game. "So we'll see."
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle wasn't sure exactly what Doncic did to his knee, but he is hoping that the issue isn't a serious one, and doesn't keep Doncic sidelined for Tuesday's game against the Spurs (8 p.m. ET -- watch on fuboTV with the NBA League Pass extension).
"I don't know if he banged his knee or he landed on it funny, but the hope is that it's not serious," Carlisle said. "He did finish the game, so we'll see. We'll know more [on Monday],"
Despite hurting his knee late, Doncic still recorded his 17th double-double (19 points and 15 rebounds) of the season against the Rockets, and drew praise from reigning NBA MVP James Harden.
"He's great," Harden said of Doncic, via the Sporting News. "Not only does he have the ability to score the basketball but he's a great passer as well ... He uses his body very well, rebounds the ball, he does a lot of things to impact the game. With this only being his first year, he's got a long way to go but he's definitely having a great start."
Doncic has had a stellar rookie season, and it would be extremely unfortunate if it ended with a serious injury issue. Doncic, 20, is the front-runner for the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award. He's averaging 21.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 32.2 minutes per game for the Mavs.
