Mavericks' Kristaps Porzingis to Undergo MRI on Knee Injury After Missing Game 4

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis will undergo an MRI after missing Sunday's Game 4 against the Los Angeles Clippers because of knee soreness that has been bothering him since Game 1, head coach Rick Carlisle announced.

Porzingis was a late scratch Sunday after he had previously been regarded as probable to play despite a heel contusion. Behind Luka Doncic's 43-point triple-double, Dallas rallied for a 135-133 victory to even the series at 2-2.

In his first year back since suffering a torn ACL, Porzingis averaged 20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting 35.2 percent from three-point range. While certainly not on the scale of his torn ACL, he picked up a foot injury that left him out for a stretch of games to open January.

Signing the Latvian big man to a five-year, $158.3 million max extension represented a bit of a risk because it was unclear how he'd fit alongside Doncic.

Porzingis did exactly what the Mavs expected of him, stretching the floor on offense and providing an imposing presence inside on defense.

Removing him from the lineup would be a big blow for Dallas at this stage of the season. Dwight Powell's Achilles rupture depleted the team's depth at center, while Willie Cauley-Stein opted out of the NBA's restart.

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Boban Marjanovic is an effective center for limited stretches but only notched 20-plus minutes six times this season.