Doncic ‘sore’ but optimistic that neck injury is not serious

Luka Doncic is hopeful of playing against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday despite suffering a neck injury in Thursday’s defeat to the Phoenix Suns.

Doncic, star man for the Dallas Mavericks, sustained the injury when he fell to the court after contact with Suns center Bismack Biyombo in the third quarter of the 109-101 loss.

The two-time NBA All-Star was seen clutching the back of his neck after the fall and had to apply a heat pack to the area.

The 22-year-old Slovenian made his way back onto the court to play out the final seven minutes, though he could not inspire the Mavs to victory as a four-game winning streak was snapped.

Doncic is confident he will be fine to return against the Grizzlies, however. 

“It’s my neck. It’s the spine,” Doncic explained to reporters after the game. “When I fell down, I hit my back. It’s pretty sore right now.

“I think it’s a little worse because it’s the spine. But it’ll be OK in a couple of days.”

Doncic, who registered 28 points against the Suns, played with a neck injury in last season’s playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

He has averaged 25.2 points per game this season, 5.1 more than any other Mavs player, while he also leads the team for rebounds (8.8) and assists (8.7).

Across 31 games so far in 2021-22, Doncic’s points average is down on last season (27.7 across 61 appearances).

The Mavs sit fifth in the Western Conference with 26-20 record and .565 win percentage. 

Thursday’s defeat was only their second in 12 games, but the Suns simply had too much. Phoenix hold the NBA’s best record so far this season, sitting on 35-9 with a .795 win rate.

Devin Booker led the Suns with 28 points, five rebounds and six assists, and claimed trust within the Phoenix roster has been crucial to their success so far.

“We all trust each other,” Booker told reporters.

“We had a lot of learning curves last year, but having that time and that experience together, I know put us in a situation where we never hit the panic button.

“We never get flustered or out of whack. We just stick with what we do.”