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Kristaps Porzingis Active for Mavs vs. Clippers Game 2 with Knee Injury
August 19, 2020
Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis is dealing with a knee injury heading into Wednesday's playoff game against the Los Angeles Clippers, but it won't keep him off the court.
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters that Porzingis would play in the crucial contest..
ESPN's Tim MacMahon first reported Porzingis was listed as questionable for Game 2 with a sore right knee. MacMahon later added Porzingis hopes to play through the injury.
Porzingis has had problems with his right knee throughout the 2019-20 season. He missed 10 straight games from Dec. 31 through Jan. 17 with the same problem.
During the 118-110 Game 1 defeat on Monday, Porzingis scored 14 points on 3-of-9 shooting in fewer than 20 minutes.
Injuries are nothing new for Porzingis. He suffered a broken nose earlier this season, missed the entire 2018-19 campaign as he recovered from a torn ACL and played just 48 games in 2017-18.
When healthy, he gives the Mavericks a dynamic one-two punch alongside Luka Doncic and is a double-double threat every time he steps on the floor. He averaged 20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in his first season on the court in Dallas.
Porzingis is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses because of his ability to pull bigs away from the rim with his perimeter shooting while also scoring inside the lane. It will be difficult to replicate his production while he is sidelined, although there are some other options in the frontcourt.
Look for the combination of Dorian Finney-Smith, Boban Marjanovic and Maxi Kleber to see more time if Porzingis is unable to play or has to have his minutes limited.
The Mavs will look to even their series against the Clippers on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET.