After making an NBA Finals appearance last season, the Dallas Mavericks went into their 2024-25 campaign with much higher hopes than ever before. Led by a star backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks had every reason to believe that their success would roll over into the new season.

The Mavericks are sitting in fifth place in the West with a 22-16 record, but injuries could be their ultimate downfall.

The Mavericks head into a big matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, but their injuries are hitting harder than ever.

Dallas will be without Luka Doncic against the Nuggets on Sunday, as the superstar guard is now set to miss his ninth consecutive game with a left calf strain.

Luka will miss his 17th game of the season, already making him ineligible for any postseason award. In this eight-game stretch with Doncic sidelined, the Mavericks are just 3-5, but have won their last two as they attempt to turn things around.

Every fan would be looking forward to a matchup between two of the league’s top international stars, Jokic and Doncic, but both MVP-caliber players are listed on the injury report for Sunday’s game in Dallas.