Luka Doncic possibly aggravates nose injury after illegal contact from Grayson Allen to the face

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks resumed the regular season at home on Thursday night against rivals Phoenix Suns. Doncic played through a broken nose and had a near triple-double in the win over Phoenix. However, "Luka Magic" might have aggravated his facial injury after getting hit by Grayson Allen.

With around two minutes left, Allen missed a contested reverse layup against Doncic. The two players went for the rebound, with the Suns guard hitting Doncic right in the face with his hand. The Mavs superstar fell to the ground as the refs called a foul on Allen.

The Suns challenged the call but were unsuccessful because Allen made illegal contact on Doncic's face, which referee Kevin Scott described as "too much to ignore."

It was game over at that point with Dallas up by 12 points and they eventually won 123-113.

"Call on the floor stands," Scott said. "The challenge was unsuccessful. Illegal contact committed by Allen. It's too much to ignore."

Luka Doncic was shaken up after the play, and teammates had to check on him. He got up and was bothered by the hit on his nose, which was broken to begin with. He has played through the injury since suffering it on Feb. 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Dallas Mavericks initially called Doncic's injury a nasal contusion before upgrading it to a broken nose in the next game versus the Brooklyn Nets. He wore a mask but removed it after the first quarter because he was having trouble breathing.

Doncic first aggravated the injury on Feb. 12 when he was accidentally hit with an elbow to the face. He continued to play through the injury and even suited up for the Western Conference in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

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Luka Doncic's near triple-double leads Mavs past Suns

Luka Doncic helps the Mavs beat the Suns on Thursday night.

Luka Doncic had a near triple-double with 41 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 123-113 win over the Phoenix Suns. Kyrie Irving added 29 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr. and P. J. Washington each scored 12 points.

The Mavericks extended their winning streak to seven and moved ahead of the Suns in the Western Conference. They have been playing well before the All-Star break and will look to continue climbing up heading into the final stretch of the season.

Meanwhile, Devin Booker had 35 points, five rebounds and eight assists for the Suns. Kevin Durant finished with 23 points but had a scare when Washington fell on his left knee during a play. The Mavs won the season series against the Suns 2-1.

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