Luka Doncic re-injures thigh in Dallas Mavericks loss to Pelicans: Unable to return

The Dallas Mavericks lost to the New Orleans Pelicans on March 8 as the entire team could not find their shots. They played in Dallas on Tuesday night before traveling to New Orleans for the second night of a back-to-back. The Mavs' win over the Jazz moved them to fifth in the West, but Wednesday’s loss puts them back in the Play-In Tournament. Things went from bad to worse from there.

Luka Doncic was dealing with a thigh injury coming into the game, but he played on the second night of a back-to-back for the first time since early December. Every win matters down the stretch, and the Mavericks were hoping to steal one in New Orleans as the Pelicans were without Zion Williamson.

Doncic did not look like himself on Wednesday night as he appeared to re-injure that thigh early in the game. Luka was limping around the court, and he just could not get going in New Orleans. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game in the third quarter, and his status moving forward is now in question. Here is a look at what happened in New Orleans.

Luka Doncic re-injures thigh in Mavericks loss to Pelicans: Unable to return

Luka kept battling through the pain on Wednesday night. He had the thigh re-taped in the first quarter and kept playing. Doncic logged 28 minutes, despite his struggles. There is zero questioning his toughness, but number 77 just was not himself on March 8.

Luka finished with 15 points, three rebounds, eight assists, and one steal on four of 14 shooting from the field and just one of five on his 3-point attempts. It was tied for his second-lowest scoring game of the season.

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks have two days off before facing the Grizzlies on Saturday night in Memphis. Ja Morant will miss both games against Dallas, but Mavs fans will be focused on the status of number 77. Luka will likely try to play through the pain, but it won’t be easy. Hopefully, a few days off are just what he needs and Doncic is close to 100 percent by Saturday night.

Luka said after the game that he will get an MRI on the thigh on Thursday, and he noted that the injury was feeling "not good".

If Luka Doncic needs to miss more time, Kyrie Irving will have to take over. The eight-time All-Star helped the Dallas Mavericks make a massive run against the Pelicans in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night that fell just short, and the team are 2-0 with Kyrie and no Luka in the lineup. It is why the Mavs traded for a second star. Stay tuned for all the latest updates on Doncic's injury.