Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic sprained his left ankle late in the third quarter of Friday's 130-122 loss to the LA Clippers in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series and was ruled out after briefly returning in the fourth quarter.
Doncic went down after rolling the ankle while defending Kawhi Leonard on a drive to the basket with 3:58 remaining in the quarter. He immediately grabbed his left ankle, and after being helped to his feet, Doncic hopped on his right foot off the floor and up the tunnel.
Doncic returned at the beginning of the fourth quarter and was clearly hobbled before exiting with 9:02 remaining. The Mavs announced that Doncic would not return minutes later.
Doncic, a 21-year-old All-Star, twice missed stretches after spraining his right ankle this season, sitting out a total of 11 games.
Doncic averaged 35.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists while the Mavs and Clippers split the first two games of the series. He had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 3, becoming the third-youngest player in NBA history to record a playoff triple-double, behind only Magic Johnson and LeBron James.