Dallas Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis watched helplessly from the sidelines for the second straight game, as his team got starched by to the Los Angeles Clippers, 111-154, in Game 5 of their Western Conference first-round series on Tuesday.
The 7-foot-3 Latvian was expected to suit up in Game 4 but was deemed a late scratch after his sore knee became too bothersome to play with. Shortly after his team fell three games to two at the AdventHealth Arena, Porzingis opened up about what he believes was the cause behind his sudden injury.
Per TNT's broadcast, Kristaps Porzingis thinks his right knee soreness developed because of a "contact situation" in Game 1 before he was ejected.
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) August 26, 2020
Kristaps Porzingis has been involved in one of the most controversial calls in playoff history during Game 1 after he was thrown out of the game after two dubious technical fouls. Fans and even fellow players were vocal about the “bogus” nature of both calls.
The Unicorn was disqualified from the game after he came to the defense of teammate Luka Doncic during a tussle with Clippers forward Marcus Morris. While it remains unclear which exact play he was talking about, it appears that the controversial Game 1 had more ramifications for Dallas than initially thought.
Porzingis went on to have brilliant showings in Games 2 and 3, dropping 23 and 36-point outings, respectively. Judging by how the Mavs fared in their last two games, the Rick Carlisle-mentored team is sorely missing Porzingis' presence on both ends of the floor.
They were fortunate to mount a spirited comeback in Game 4, thanks in large part to Doncic's heroics. But Game 5 was a whole different story, as the visibly hobbled-Doncic didn't have his trusted no.2 to lean on, as they were outclassed by the Clippers for 48 minutes.
The Mavs are now in a do-or-die situation in Game 6 scheduled on Thursday. Porzingis' status will certainly play a major factor in the outcome of that match.
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