The Dallas Mavericks will be without Kristaps Porzingis on Monday as they host the league-best Utah Jazz in a marquee Western Conference matchup. Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle has revealed that Porzingis is currently dealing with a sprained wrist and is now expected to undergo further testing on the injury.
As it turns out, this has been a lingering issue for Porzingis (h/t Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News):
Carlisle says Porzingis will not play. Sprained right wrist. "Don't have a timetable. Hope it's not serious. It's something he's been dealing with for a number of weeks."
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) April 5, 2021
Carlisle himself is unaware as to the exact moment Porzingis sustained the injury:
Carlisle says he spoke to Porzingis about it today. Carlisle isn't positive, but "it may have happened in a game in January . . . Look, he's a tough guy." Says Porzingis will be checked further.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) April 5, 2021
Aside from confirmation that Porzingis is suffering from a sprained wrist, no other details have been provided about the injury. The Mavs should provide further updates on their star big man's status moving forward once the results of the additional tests come back:
Carlisle follow-up on Porzingis: "He's seeing the doc tonight, so maybe we'll know more tonight or tomorrow."
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) April 5, 2021
This is a bit concerning for both the Mavs and Porzingis, who himself was rumored to have been placed on the trading block prior to the deadline. Depending on the severity of the injury, this could require the 25-year-old to miss considerable time. The fact that Porzingis was able to play through the injury could indicate that it isn't too serious, but it is also possible that he has somehow aggravated the problem over the past couple of months.
This comes at a terrible time for the Mavs, who themselves are currently in an all-out battle for positioning out West. A postseason spot is anything but guaranteed for Dallas at this point, though, with a handful of teams still fighting for a playoffs berth in what has developed into a very tight race out West.
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