Is Luka Doncic playing tonight? Bucks at Mavericks injury update for October 17

The Dallas Mavericks will be one step closer to starting the regular season after tonight, as they close out the preseason against the Milwaukee Bucks at the American Airlines Center.

Dallas is 0-3 heading into tonight's game, but the emergence of Jazian Gortman and Jaden Hardy taking the next step in his development have helped overshadow the overall struggles of the team as a whole.

Klay Thompson showed some early struggles in Dallas' last game against the LA Clippers, as he shot 0-9 from the field and turned the ball over four times. This strugglesome performance has seemingly overshadowed his overwhelmingly positive debut on both ends of the floor, and he is going to be a great fit next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Dallas is set to wrap up the preseason tonight against Milwaukee at 6:30 p.m. CT, and there are plenty of glaring questions when it comes to who is playing in this game. Will Doncic play tonight? Here's all the latest on what we know about his injury and his status for the game.

Luka Doncic's status for Bucks at Mavericks on October 17

Luka Doncic is officially out for tonight's game against the Bucks. Jason Kidd said that Doncic likely wouldn't play tonight against the Bucks due to the calf contusion that he suffered right before training camp after he practiced yesterday, and he confirmed that he wouldn't play before the game. Kidd said that he practiced fully on Wednesday.

Doncic has been out since early October with this injury, and Dallas won't rush him to return for a preseason game.

Dallas Mavericks' full injury report vs Milwaukee Bucks on October 17

The preseason hasn't seen teams drop official injury reports until the day of the game, but the Mavs are dealing with a handful of injuries that have affected players' availability for the preseason.

Maxi Kleber has been out with an ankle sprain for the entire preseason, and it can be assumed that he'll be out against the Bucks as he didn't fully practice on Wednesday. Kessler Edwards has also missed all of preseason with an ankle sprain, and it can be assumed that he'll be out tonight as well.

On a more serious note, Dante Exum underwent surgery on his wrist earlier this month, and he'll be out for tonight's game. Exum's injury could keep him out until 2025.

History of Luka Doncic's calf injuries

Despite this calf contusion being different from the calf strains that he has suffered over the last two and a half years, Doncic's left calf has been through the wringer. Doncic had a calf strain for the early portion of the 2022 NBA Playoffs and during the preseason last season.

Doncic's calf contusion doesn't seem as serious this time around, and he should be ready to go next week for the season opener.

Doncic getting some rest this summer was crucial, as he suffered plenty of injuries during the NBA Playoffs last season. He was significantly hobbled by the time the NBA Finals rolled around, and they'll need him at his best to have another great season.