The Mavericks are experiencing a near-nightmare scenario with the scary injury to Luka Doncic

Heading into Tuesday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Dallas Mavericks were 2-1 after a win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.

The Dallas bench finally showed up, as both Dereck Lively II and Spencer Dinwiddie sat well on the bench, but Dallas wasn't great on the boards throughout the game. Maxi Kleber's absence due to a right hamstring injury was clearly felt, but the Mavs were still able to eke out a win against Utah in a game that was much closer than it should have been.

Kleber's injury will hurt the Mavs far more than anyone expected, but Dallas almost suffered an injury that would have hurt more than any other injury they could have suffered.

Midway through the second quarter, Luka Doncic injured his right leg on a drive to the rim and had to limp back to the locker room and missed the rest of the half. There's no official diagnosis for what exactly Doncic did, but every Mavs fan's heart sank because it didn't look good at the time. He did not put much pressure on his right leg as Markieff Morris helped him to the locker room, and injuries occurred when players held the backs of their knees.

Mavs fans' concerns were eased when the team came back at halftime as Doncic warmed up and eventually played in the second half. However, in the 20 minutes when everyone wasn't sure exactly what was happening, the concern was real. Doncic is the heart and soul of this team and they cannot afford to lose him to injury this early.

After an injury-riddled playoff run, Doncic finally bounced back in the offseason, and it would have been less than ideal if he suffered a serious injury in the fourth game of the season. He looks like he's doing well, but this injury is something to keep an eye on if it causes labor in the next few games.

Dallas plays the Houston Rockets on Thursday night and they will need a bounce-back game from Doncic. He's been a little rusty over the last few games since his dominant game against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, and it would be huge for him to gain some momentum down the home stretch.

He and Klay Thompson form a special bond on the court, and Dallas' big three seems built to compete with the best teams in the NBA. Doncic is the center of the action, and if he stays healthy it could make or break Dallas' early success.