Injury analyst claims Luka Doncic calf strain to last about 34 days 

Unfortunate news spoiled Luka Doncic's Christmas during the Dallas Mavericks' matchup versus the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. With under three minutes to play in the second quarter, Doncic received a pick from Derrick Lively II and planted with his left foot to post up a defender.

Doncic immediately winced in pain, drawing attention from the announcers and passed the ball before limping towards the bench. Upon receiving an evaluation from Dallas' training staff, Luka Doncic was ruled out for the game, receiving a Grade 2 calf strain diagnosis.

After the game, Jeff Stotts, an injury analyst and athletic trainer, took to X to settle the nerves of panicked Mavericks fans.

"There's a lot of variability in calf strains as the calf is a muscle made up of multiple muscles. The pending MRI will help determine the muscles involved & severity. All signs point to this being a more moderate strain. Average time lost for a Grade 2 strain is 15 games (~34 games)."

Luka Doncic played 16 minutes and finished the game as Dallas' second-leading scorer with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. He also grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists.

Luka Doncic-less Mavericks fall to Timberwolves on Christmas Day

Hindered by the loss of their superstar, the Mavericks fell to 19-11 on the season with a 105-99 loss versus the Timberwolves. Kyrie Irving led Dallas with a heroic effort in Doncic's absence, but the Mavericks could not overcome back-to-back 30-point quarters in the second and third periods of play.

Irving finished with 39 points on 14-of-27 shooting, connecting on five of his 14 3-point attempts. Irving grabbed four rebounds and assisted on two baskets as he tried to will Dallas to a victory.

Anthony Edwards shined in the Christmas Day matchup. He finished with a team-high 26 points, shooting an efficient 4-of-7 from 3-point range along with eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in a well-rounded performance on each side of the ball.

Julius Randle was efficient alongside Edwards with a strong double-double, pouring in 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting and grabbing 10 rebounds with eight assists in the winning effort.