ORLANDO, Fla. — Dallas Mavericks fans held a collective breath during the third quarter of Friday night's Game 3 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Mavs All-Star Luka Doncic twisted his left ankle, limped off the court and hobbled awkwardly to the locker room.
The 21-year-old returned to the game to start the fourth quarter, despite the Mavericks trailing by 17 points.
Doncic played the first two minutes and 58 seconds of the fourth quarter, before returning to the bench and grimacing in pain.
In those 178 seconds, Doncic recorded one rebound and one assist. He ended the night with 13 points (4-11 shooting), 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Despite the injury, Doncic became the first player in Mavericks history to record a triple-double in the playoffs.
Doncic went back to the locker room for a second time before returning to the bench again to watch the remainder of the Mavs, 130-122 loss.
Doncic walked off the court after the game in flop-flops and ice taped around his ankle.
Los Angeles leads the series 2-1 and now the Mavericks hopes of upsetting the 2-seed is in serious jeopardy.
The Mavs medical staff took x-rays and anxiously awaits the results, along with NBA fans from Slovenia to Spain to Dallas-Fort Worth.
