The Dallas Mavericks will be without their top two players against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night as the team has ruled out Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
Prior to the game, the Mavs announced both players were dealing with injuries.
Porzingis’ was already out with a knee injury, Friday’s game.
He will need at least one more game to be able to return.
Doncic will miss Saturday’s contest with left ankle soreness despite scoring 21 points in Friday’s 107-91 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Mavs say Luka Dončić (left ankle soreness), Kristaps Porzingis (left knee contusion) and Willie Cauley-Stein (personal reasons) will all miss tonight’s game against Memphis.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) December 4, 2021
In addition, Willie Cauley-Stein will also be out due to personal reasons.
The Mavericks are going to sorely miss both Doncic and Porzingis.
Doncic is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 25.4 points per game, while Porzingis is the team’s second-leading scorer, with 19.7 points per contest.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies will still be without star guard and leading scorer Ja Morant as he recovers from a scary knee injury.
The Dallas Mavericks are 11-10 on the season and currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies have been slightly better, sitting in fourth in the West with a 12-10 record.
It’s unclear whether Doncic will miss additional games due to the injury.
Ironically, the Mavs seem to play stronger defense without Doncic.
When Luka Doncic is on the floor, the Mavs get significantly worse on the defensive end.