Devin Booker will miss at least four weeks of action after suffering a groin strain.
The Phoenix Suns star pulled up just four minutes into the 128-125 overtime defeat to the Denver Nuggets on Christmas Day.
Booker had missed the previous three games with groin soreness, and he appeared to suffer a recurrence early on at Ball Arena before leaving the court.
The Suns confirmed on Wednesday that Booker will miss at least four weeks, at which time he will undergo further evaluation.
The 26-year-old has been in fine form this season, averaging a career-high 27.1 points per game, and he scored 58 points against the New Orleans Pelicans in his previous appearance prior to the brief cameo against the Nuggets.
Booker will have to wait to surpass Steve Nash to claim top spot for franchise three-pointers, needing to add just seven more to his current total of 1,045.
Luka Doncic earned plaudits from the great and the good of the NBA after recording the league's first 60-point, 20-rebound triple-double.
Doncic improbably led the Dallas Mavericks to an overtime win against the New York Knicks on Tuesday, requiring an historic performance to overturn a big late deficit.
The Knicks were up by nine points in the final 35 seconds, but Doncic brought the Mavs back, tying the game with a second to play after sensationally seizing the rebound from his own missed free throw.
In OT, the 23-year-old moved to another level entirely – not just for his career but for the NBA as a whole.
No player had previously had 60 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in the same game; indeed, since Wilt Chamberlain retired in 1973, no player had achieved each of those three statistics in separate games across a single season.
Doncic finished with 60, 21 and 10, prompting Mavs owner Mark Cuban to post on Twitter: "We are watching greatness @luka7doncic. I've never seen anything like that ever."
"The history of the game is written by the players, and it was written again tonight," said coach Jason Kidd.
Kristaps Porzingis, Doncic's former Dallas team-mate, wrote: "60/20/10?? This guy is not normal."
It was not just those with connections to the Mavs who were marvelling at the record-setting Slovenian, however.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau rued coming up against a "monster player", while former MVP Kevin Garnett referenced the recent unveiling of a Dirk Nowitzki statue in Dallas as he said: "It'll be another statue in Dallas... Luka is like that!"
Paul Pierce, Garnett's team-mate on the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, added: "Luka is the best offensive player in the league. I said offensive. Think about it."
Nets superstar Kevin Durant compared Doncic's display to the sort you might see on NBA 2K: "That was a MyCareer type performance from Luka tonight. Some video game s***."
Luka Doncic moved to a "whole different level" in the view of Dallas Mavericks team-mate Dwight Powell after hitting a historic 60-point triple-double against the New York Knicks.
The three-time NBA All-Star ended with figures of 21-for-31 shooting, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and a block in one of NBA's all-time great individual showings.
Doncic's magic inspired the Mavs to a 126-21 home win over the Knicks on Tuesday in a contest his side trailed 112-103 with less than 30 seconds to go in the fourth quarter.
He scored seven of the Mavericks' 11 points in the overtime period to complete the comeback en route to topping Dirk Nowitzki's franchise record of 53 from December 2004.
"Guys say all the time that we see it and we know his greatness, but he's showing up on a whole different level in a whole lot of different ways," Mavs center Powell said.
"This tonight, there's not really any way to accurately describe that. It's hard to believe – what he's done is different."
Doncic is the only NBA player in the post-Wilt Chamberlain era to have a 60-point game, a 21-rebound game and a 10-assist game in the same season – let alone the same game.
The 23-year-old tied the record for the highest-scoring triple-double in NBA history, level with James Harden's 60 for the Houston Rockets against the Orlando Magic in 2018.
Chamberlain, who did so twice, and Elgin Baylor are the only others to have registered at least 20 rebounds during a 50-point triple-double game.
Reflecting on the highest-scoring individual performance of the season, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said: "To do something that's never been done before, that's hard to do.
"There's been some great players before him. Elgin Baylor and Wilt... he was in that class, and then he separated himself and made his own class."
Dallas became the first team in at least two decades to win a game in which they trailed by at least nine points in the final 35 seconds with their comeback against the Knicks.
With four seconds on the clock and still trailing by three points, Doncic was sent to the line for two free throws.
He made the first, before intentionally missing the second, tracking down his own rebound and putting it back in to tie the game, which Dallas won to go 19-16 for the season.
"I thought we won the game," Doncic said of his late heroics in regulation time. "Then I see it's tied. I was like, 'Oof.' I didn't know what to do.
"The whole team just keeps going. Everybody just kept it together. We believed. But now I'm tired as hell and need a recovery beer."
LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham were complimentary of Russell Westbrook after he recorded another triple-double to help snap their four-game losing streak on Tuesday.
Westbrook played 29 minutes off the bench, scoring 15 points on six-of-11 shooting while adding 13 rebounds and 13 assists – finishing with a plus/minus of plus 18 as the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 129-110.
It was his third triple-double off the bench this season, tying three-time All-Star Detlef Schrempf for the most triple-doubles off the bench in NBA history.
Speaking to the media after the win, Westbrook said he is just focused on playing his role.
"I'm a hooper," he said. "I can do anything, anytime, anywhere. I'll continue to do whatever is asked of me until further notice."
James was also terrific, scoring a team-high 28 points on 12-of-24 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists.
He told reporters how Westbrook's ability to rebound as an undersized guard is crucial with Anthony Davis set for an extended stint on the sidelines.
"We all have to play a little bit more, and do a little bit more," he said. "Russ has definitely picked up, obviously with the rebounding. We're a team that lacks a lot of size, a lot of length.
"We try to make it up by being fundamentally sound, and also being athletic, and rebounding out of your position.
"Russ has always done that in his career – he's always rebounded outside of his size and length. It was very key for us to get stops, clean the glass and not allow offensive rebounds.
"I know when I'm out on the floor with him I just need to run. When he gets the rebound, and he gets on the break, I have to run with him. He sees pretty much everything that's going on on the floor, so just run and make yourself available.
"Tonight we were against a team that has been playing extremely well – they were winners of their last eight out of nine or something like that.
"They're playing exceptionally well here. They beat Boston twice on their home floor – and we know how great that team is – so it's a good win for us."
When asked if Westbrook's strong play would see him reinserted into the starting lineup, Ham made it clear the starting lineup does not necessarily mean the five best players.
"An NBA lineup has to have balance," he said. "It’s not so much 'can he start' or 'are his starting days over?'
"It’s not about that. It’s about him being able to bring a counter punch, a new extra wave off the bench... I know it’s been hard at times, but kudos to him for doing everything that was asked of him in that role."
Of the Lakers' three back-to-backs this season, James has only played in both legs once. When asked if he will be able to suit up against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, he said "I'll know tomorrow when I get up".
Luka Doncic put up arguably the most gaudy stat-line of the season in the Dallas Mavericks' 126-121 home victory against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
Doncic ended up with 60 points on 21-of-31 shooting, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and a block in the virtuoso performance, and the Mavericks needed every bit of it to come back from a late deficit.
Trailing 112-103 with less than 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Dallas staged a miraculous recovery, but still needed some Luka magic to send the game to overtime.
With four seconds on the clock, trailing by three, Doncic was sent to the line for two free throws. He made the first, before intentionally missing the second, tracking down his own rebound and putting it back in to tie the game.
He scored seven of the Mavericks' 11 points in the overtime period to complete the comeback, finishing the game on a 23-9 run.
The win is Dallas' fourth in a row, and improves their record to 19-16 to sit seventh in the Western Conference.
Despite the loss for the Knicks – their fourth in a row – there were encouraging signs for the future of their backcourt. With Jalen Brunson missing his first game of the season due to a hip injury, Immanuel Quickley was handed the start.
He had 11 of his 15 assists in the first half before struggling down the stretch as he was asked to play a game-high 51 minutes, while Quentin Grimes top-scored for New York with 33 points (12-of-25).
LeBron's Lakers get back on track
The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the winner's list after LeBron James led them to a 129-110 road win against the Orlando Magic.
Entering the contest on a four-game losing streak since the injury of Anthony Davis, James was terrific, scoring a team-high 28 points on 12-of-24 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists.
He was supported well by Davis' replacement in the starting lineup, with Thomas Bryant chipping in 21 points (eight-of-10 shooting) and 10 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook tied Detlef Schrempf's all-time record for triple-doubles off the bench with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists.
The Magic had won eight of their previous nine, but it was a tough outing for number one draft pick Paolo Banchero, scoring a career-low four points with five fouls in 22 minutes.
76ers waste incredible Embiid performance
The Philadelphia 76ers' winning streak has ended at eight games after a disappointing 116-111 loss to the Washington Wizards, despite Joel Embiid heroics.
Embiid, the back-to-back MVP runner-up, scored a game-high 48 points on 17-of-31 shooting, adding nine rebounds, three blocks and three steals to finish with a plus/minus of plus eight in his 36 minutes.
Unfortunately for Embiid, the 76ers were outscored by 13 in the 12 minutes he was on the bench, with Kristaps Porzingis' 24 points (seven-of-15), 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals leading the way for the Wizards.
The win may be coming at a cost, however, as All-Star Bradley Beal left in the fourth quarter after suffering a hamstring injury.
Despite reports that Sacramento Kings All-Star Domantas Sabonis would attempt to play through the avulsion fracture in his right thumb, he has been ruled out of Tuesday's home game against the Denver Nuggets.
Sabonis, 26, was a two-time All-Star selection with the Indiana Pacers before being traded to the Kings last season, and he is enjoying a career-best start to the current campaign.
He is leading the NBA in rebounding at 12.4 per game, while his 61.2 per cent field goal percentage is a new career-high, and his 6.7 assists per game ties his career-high.
Sabonis has played in all 31 of the Kings' games this season, helping them to a 17-14 record to occupy the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
The Kings are seeking to break the league's longest playoff drought, having not played in the postseason since 2006, so they will be desperately hoping Sabonis' absence is only brief.
Jalen Brunson's first game back in Dallas against the team that drafted him will have to wait, as he will miss the New York Knicks' road game against the Mavericks on Tuesday due to a sore right hip.
Brunson, 26, spent the first four years of his career with the Mavericks after being drafted 33rd overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.
After shining in the 2022 playoffs – averaging 21.6 points while starting all 18 games – Brunson entered free agency and signed with the Knicks, where his father Rick Brunson is an assistant coach.
It has proven to be a savvy career move on a statistical level, stepping out of Luka Doncic's shadow to get his own team to run.
He is averaging career-highs in points (20.2), assists (6.6) and steals (1.1), and has played in all 34 of the Knicks' games up to this point, guiding them to an 18-16 record to sit sixth in the Eastern Conference.
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