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The Dallas Mavericks will again be forced to play a playoff game without their starting center. Porzingis did not play in Game 4 due to knee soreness despite warming up and even being named a starter. As Marc Stein first reported, Porzingis will again be on the sidelines and not join his team on the court.
Dallas' Kristaps Porzingis (knee) has been listed as OUT for tonight's Game 5 against the Clippers
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 25, 2020
The knee injury for Porzingis has truly been a mystery all season long. Right knee soreness forced him to miss a 10 game stretch in early January. He also has not played a back-to-back since the soreness appeared. The NBA sent out a memo last week to teams telling them not to list soreness on the injury report, and to use specific body parts. But here we are, with Porzingis out again, and simply just “knee” listed on the injury report.
SB Nation contributor Dr. Rajpal Brar chimed in with what the issue with Porzingis could be. The doctor speculated that the seven-footer could be overcompensating for his left knee, which is the leg he suffered a torn ACL on in 2018.
MRI seems precautionary. This sounds like knee soreness related to cartilage wear, especially pertinent after an ACL rupture + quick ramp up time for the bubble after extended layoff
— Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) August 24, 2020
It will important to follow Porzingis’s status through the remainder of the playoffs and even during the off-season.