Luka Doncic out Wednesday vs. Rockets with ankle soreness

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic Brian Westerholt-USA TODAY Sports

Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Dončić out Wednesday vs. Rockets with ankle soreness

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 3/22/22

With just 10 games left on their regular season schedule and currently sitting in the fifth spot in the Western Conference at 44-28, the Dallas Mavericks are entering the most critical period of the campaign. They've not yet secured a playoff berth, but it would take a collapse of epic proportions to fall out of the mix completely.

However, with the sixth-place Denver Nuggets only two games behind Dallas and the upstart Minnesota Timberwolves just 2.5 game back in seventh, Luka Dončić and company are looking to avoid the dreaded play-in tournament. When the team hosts the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, they'll still be without the likes of guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (who's been out since January with a foot injury) among others, as well as Dončić.

Luka Dončić (right ankle soreness), Dāvis Bertāns (right knee soreness), Tim Hardaway Jr. (left foot surgery) and Theo Pinson (right fifth finger fracture) will all miss tomorrow night's game against the Rockets.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) March 22, 2022

Fortunately for the Mavericks, the Rockets are a league-worst 18-54, including an abysmal 7-29 road mark. Dallas is 3-0 against Houston this season.

One of the top contenders for MVP this season, Dončić is currently tied with Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young (who he was traded for during the 2018 NBA Draft) for third in the NBA in scoring this season at 27.9 points per game. The 2018-2019 Rookie of the Year is also tied with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland for fifth in the league at 8.6 assists per contest and trails only Nikola Jokic, Dejounte Murray, Russell Westbrook and James Harden for most triple-doubles this season with nine.

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