Luka Doncic's mother sends heartfelt message to son after injury during Game 3 vs Clippers

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic suffered an ankle injury and limped out of their Round 1 Game 3 defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Doncic's status for Sunday's Game 4 is now in doubt after the Slovenian went down after rolling his ankle while defending Kawhi Leonard's drive to the basket in the third quarter. Doncic's mother, Mirjam Poterbin, took to Instagram later to send out a heartfelt message for her son, optimistic that the 21-year-old will only come back stronger.

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Clippers vs Mavericks: Luka Doncic injury coincides with Mavs' loss of momentum

According to reports from ESPN, Mavericks small forward Luka Doncic suffered a sprained ankle that caused him to exit Friday night's 130-122 loss against the LA Clippers in the fourth quarter at the NBA bubble. The Slovenian’s ankle seemed to twist on impact from Kawhi's foot and he went down immediately. Upon being helped up to his feet, Doncic hopped on his right foot off the court and down the tunnel.

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Luka Doncic injury: Mavericks star's mother sends heartfelt message

After getting his ankle re-taped, Doncic returned at the start of the fourth quarter but was struggling and left the game with just over nine minutes left. The Mavericks soon announced that Luka Doncic would not return for the remainder of the game, raising concerns over his injury. Following the game, Doncic, who has already missed 11 games this season due to twice spraining his right ankle, said: "The injury isn't too bad, it's a little strained but thank god it's my left ankle and not my right."

Doncic's mother, Mirjam Poterbin, who appeared to be watching the Clippers vs Mavericks game on TV, uploaded a heartfelt message for her son on her Instagram story as she wrote, "You'll only come back stronger" while referring to the Mavericks star as her "world" along with a heart emoji.

Image Credits - Mirijam Porterbin Instagram

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NBA playoffs: Clippers vs Mavericks Game 3 stats and highlights

Kristaps Porzingis racked up 34 points, 13 rebounds and one assist for the Mavericks while Luka Doncic got 13 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds during his 28 minutes on the court. For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard grabbed 36 points, eight assists and nine rebounds as he propelled his team to a 130-122 win. Landry Shamet also got 18 points and three rebounds in his 27 minutes on the court. The Clippers now hold a 2-1 lead over the Dallas Mavericks in their first-round NBA playoffs series

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Image Credits - AP