Dallas Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis expected to return against Clippers

Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis has missed ten straight games because of a sore knee, but he expects to return on Jan. 21 against the Clippers.

Dallas Mavericks supporters were blindsided by the knee injury to Kristaps Porzingis. He played just under 30 minutes in a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 29. The Unicorn looked fine. He finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, one steal, and one block. Then, he was scratched from the following game with knee soreness.

Porzingis has not played since that night. He was expected to return against the Kings on Jan. 15. Coach Carlisle even announced in his pregame presser that KP would play, but he felt more pain in the knee causing him to remain out.

Kristaps Porzingis has missed ten straight games, but Sunday’s update was positive. Let us take a look.

KP wants to be back vs. Clippers

Porzingis talked after Sunday’s practice about his injury and when he expects to return. The 7’3 big man sounds optimistic about playing in the Mavericks’ next game which takes place on Tuesday against the LA Clippers. Callie Caplan shared this update on Jan. 19.

KP was spotted shooting at practice. It sounds positive, but supporters should check back closer to Tuesday’s tipoff. Porzingis playing is not 100 percent certain, but he will likely be given the probable tag on Monday’s injury report. Expect him to be on a minute’s limit when he is back in action.

Coach Carlisle had this to say after Sunday’s practice.

The Mavs need the Unicorn in the lineup. They have won four straight games, but just six of the ten KP has missed. The team misses his rim protection and ability to space the floor on the offensive end. His return will not happen a moment too soon.

The injury remains worrying even if Porzingis is back on Jan. 21. The soreness already cropped back up once after the Mavs thought he was ready to go. This could be an ongoing issue that KP has to manage the rest of the way.

The Smoking Cuban will be back with all the updates on Kristaps Porzingis’ knee injury plus everything Dallas Mavericks, so supporters should check back to the site often.