Dallas Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic was sidelined for nearly two weeks, as he hadn't played since suffering an ankle sprain against the Miami Heat on Dec. 14. Despite the time off, he didn't show signs of rust when he returned to action on Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs. Instead, the reining Rookie of the Year looked like his old self as he tallied a near triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in 33 minutes of action in the Mavs 102-98 victory.
24 PTS | 10 REB | 8 AST@luka7doncic picks up where he left off as the @dallasmavs defeat SAS in his return to the court! #MFFL pic.twitter.com/WkbTLMDYZP
— NBA (@NBA) December 27, 2019
After the game, Doncic spoke to TNT's Jared Greenburg about his return to action. Predictably, he said that he was very happy to be back out on the floor with his teammates, but admitted that he was extremely fatigued.
"It felt good," Doncic said of being back. "It felt like I was running a marathon or something. I was so tired. It's different when you miss four or five games, but it was great being back, and we won."
“It was great being back” 👏
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 27, 2019
Luka talks to @JaredSGreenberg after the Mavs snap a three-game home losing streak. pic.twitter.com/iJ7e12DagZ
Though the Mavs were able to pick up some quality wins in Doncic's absence (they were 2-2 with victories over the Bucks in Milwaukee and the 76ers in Philadelphia), the team was better off having their floor general back in action on Thursday night. Prior to the injury, Doncic put up MVP-caliber numbers, averaging 29.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He appears to be well on the way to his first All-Star appearance. Though it was only one game, he certainly appears to be picking up right where he left off.
