Dallas Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis struggles in return vs. Clippers

Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis returned on Jan. 21 after missing ten games with a sore knee. See how the Unicorn performed against the Clippers.

The Dallas Mavericks endured a ten-game absence from Kristaps Porzingis. He injured his knee on Dec. 29 against the Los Angeles Lakers and sat out for nearly a month with the discomfort. Everyone wanted KP to get his knee right before returning.

The Mavs won six of the ten games Porzingis missed. Luka Doncic and company picked up the slack. It was a team effort making up for the 7’3 man on the defensive end of the floor. Coach Carlisle played more small ball and relied on Luka to get it done with the ball in his hands.

Kristaps Porzingis was back in action on Tuesday against the LA Clippers. Let us take a look at how he performed and what to expect going forward.

Struggled with his shot

The Mavericks got off to a slow start on Jan. 21. They did not make their first field goal until the clock read just over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter. It was KP hitting a mid-range jumper off a Luka Doncic assist which supporters can see below.

Porzingis moved well, but he struggled mightily with his shot. The Unicorn hit four of 17 from the field and one of his eight 3-point attempts. He was rusty after missing nearly a month of action. The Unicorn finished with ten points, nine rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 27 minutes.

KP did treat fans to a monster dunk in the third quarter off of a beautiful find from J.J. Barea which supporters can enjoy below.

KP puts loss on him

The Clippers walked away with a 110-107 victory on Tuesday evening. The Mavs were down after the game because of the Dwight Powell injury. It looks like he will miss the rest of the season with an Achilles tear.

Porzingis was quick to take the blame for the loss. Here is his quote postgame courtesy of Eddie Sefko.

Coach Carlisle said KP “felt good” during his postgame presser. Hopefully, the knee soreness is a thing of the past, and he remains healthy the rest of the way. The Mavericks need the 7’3 big man even more with Powell out. They are light on frontcourt options.

Keep an eye on Porzingis’ status leading into Thursday’s game. The Mavs travel to Portland to face the Trail Blazers. Hopefully, KP is not listed on the injury report and is ready to go.

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