Report reveals when Luka Doncic is expected to return from injury

There is a faint glimmer of hope in the distance for the Dallas Mavericks amid all the pain and suffering of this season.

Appearing Wednesday on “NBA Today,” Shams Charania of ESPN provided an update on injured Mavs star Luka Doncic. Charania revealed that Doncic is targeting a return before the NBA All-Star break in mid-February.

The five-time All-Star Doncic has been out since Christmas Day due to a severe left calf strain. Doncic, who was averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists a game this season before going down, is now coming up on the one-month re-evaluation date that he was given when he first suffered the injury.

Doncic’s return can’t come soon enough for the 23-21 Mavs, who have gone just 4-9 since Doncic got hurt. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving has been in and out of the lineup recently due to injury as well, and the news just broke earlier on Wednesday that center Dereck Lively II suffered a small fracture in his right foot and is now out for two-to-three months.

In an unforgiving Western Conference, Dallas has now fallen out of the top six and is just a half-game ahead of the 10th-place Suns. But even if the Mavs might still have to survive for another 10 or so games without Doncic, a light at the end of the tunnel may finally be emerging.