UPDATE (1:45 p.m.)
Luka Doncic won't be making his return to the lineup on Friday night after all.
Doncic was officially ruled out of Friday night's game against the Kings shortly after he told the media at the team's shootaround that he "probably" won't play.
Doncic told reporters, including Callie Caplan and Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, that he felt some pain in his heel during practice on Thursday and would likely sit out on the first night of the back-to-back in Sacramento.
“Probably not yet,” Doncic told reporters. “Hopefully tomorrow I can be back... It’s way better every day so hopefully tomorrow.”
The news of Doncic's absence on Friday comes as a surprise after Shams Charania of The Athletic reported earlier in the day that the superstar was "expected" to play. He sent a follow-up tweet later acknowledging the change in Doncic's status for Friday's game.
Doncic's absence means that Mavs fans will have to wait at least one more day to see Luka and Kyrie Irving play together for the first time since Dallas acquired the All-Star guard in a trade with the Nets on Sunday.
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