The Mavs will be without power forward Kristaps Porzingis on Thursday when they take on the Brooklyn Nets.
Porzingis is dealing with right knee soreness. He didn’t play on Tuesday versus the Oklahoma City Thunder either.
Porzingis tore his left ACL during the 2017-18 season with the New York Knicks. The Mavs are “just being cautious” with Porzingis moving forward, though, since he’s one of their franchise cornerstones, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN:
“Just being cautious,” source replied when I asked if Kristaps Porzingis’ right knee soreness is a significant concern. https://t.co/l9Fzc5qj9a
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) January 2, 2020
In 31 games this season for the Mavs, Porzingis is averaging 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He’s shooting 40.3 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from beyond the arc and 72.5 percent from the free-throw line.
The Mavs, after losing to the Thunder, are 21-12 on the season. They are in fifth place in the Western Conference standings.
The Mavs gave Porzingis a five-year, $158.3 million deal this past summer. KP and Luka Doncic are the new faces of the Dallas franchise in the post-Dirk Nowitzki era.
The Mavs inquired about Porzingis’ availability since they were eager to get another star alongside Doncic and were able to get a deal done with the Knicks to acquire KP on January 31, 2019. When he requested a trade from the Knicks last season, Porzingis had no idea Dallas was in the mix to acquire him, as the Mavs weren’t one of his preferred destinations at the time.
However, KP is enjoying Dallas so far. Now, he just has to get healthy for the long-run.
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