The Luka Dončić homecoming trip ran into a bit of a snag on Tuesday.
The superstar point guard had hoped to put on a show for fans in his adopted hometown where he played for Real Madrid before being drafted by the Mavericks.
But a left calf strain limited Dončić to just under five minutes of playing time in the first quarter.
The Mavericks, who also were missing Kyrie Irving, went on to lose to Real Madrid, 127-123, sending them back to America with an 0-3 exhibition record on their overseas trip after dropping two games in Abu Dhabi to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Better to get these losses out of their system when the games don’t count.
The outcome, however, was secondary. Luka suffered the calf strain during Monday’s practice. After feverishly treating the calf in hopes of playing against Real Madrid, the decision was reached to allow Dončić to play a few token minutes at the start of the game, then take a seat.
Dončić desperately wanted to play in the Real Madrid game. He had said on Monday leading up to the game that Madrid is where he grew up in many different ways, not just with his basketball career. He went so far to say that he wouldn’t be where he is now without his years in Madrid, which started on the junior team and began professionally at age 16 with the senior men’s team.
But the calf strain put a damper on his return although he told reporters after Tuesday’s game that it was “nothing serious.”
Dončić was limited to the first 4:59 of the first quarter before he took a seat. The Mavericks obviously want to be ultra-cautious with their superstar point guard given that it’s preseason.
He made the most of his brief stretch on the court, putting up six shots, five of them three-pointers, and making three of the attempts. He had nine points and an assist before taking a seat.
The calf issue is critical for the Mavericks to keep a watch on. Dončić missed the first three games of the 2022 playoff run with a similar injury that sidelined him for 12 days.
He also had leg issues late last season and for a good portion of the FIBA World Cup when he played with the Slovenian national team last month.
The Mavericks will arrive in Dallas on Thursday and because they were allowed to start training camp three days early, they will be required to have three non-practice days upon their return. While players will be able to work out individually, there are not any formal practice sessions scheduled until Monday.
BRIEFLY: The Mavericks took a 71-65 lead at halftime against Real Madrid, then moved ahead 80-69 early in the second half. They nursed that lead until late in the fourth quarter, when Real Madrid rallied. The Mavericks were up 112-101 with under six minutes left, but former Maverick Facundo Campazzo scored 14 points during a 26-11 run to close out the game for Madrid, doing so mostly against the deep end of the Mavericks’ roster . . . Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Mavericks with 21 points. Dwight Powell, Seth Curry and Dante Exum each had13 points for the Mavericks. Campazzo had 20 points to pace Real Madrid, which had three other players with 18 or more points . . . Before the game, Luka was part of a ceremony honoring the 2018 European League championship team that he led, earning MVP honors in the tournament . . . Both teams took advantage of the international three-point line, which is more than a foot closer at the top of the arc than the NBA three-point line. Madrid made 20-of-51 three-pointers (39.2 percent). The Mavericks were 16-of-46 (34.8 percent).
Twitter: @ESefko
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