Dallas Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis out vs. Nuggets

Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis will miss the March 11 game against the Denver Nuggets as part of his injury recovery. Find out more here.

The Dallas Mavericks are facing the second of a back-to-back set on Wednesday night when they host the Denver Nuggets. The Mavs lost in San Antonio on March 10. They led for the first three quarters but struggled in the fourth before falling to the Spurs.

The Mavericks ruled out Kristaps Porzingis for Wednesday’s game on the official injury report. It will be the fifth consecutive second of a back-to-back that he misses. The team continues to manage his left knee in hopes of keeping him fully healthy for the playoffs.

Porzingis could use a night off. He struggled mightily in the last two games with his shot. KP is a combined seven for 32 from the field and one of 13 on his 3-pointers. He still impacts the game. The Unicorn grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked four shots over the two contests.

The Mavericks will certainly miss Porzingis on Wednesday night as they host the Nuggets. They will need more scoring from Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. to grab the victory.

Who steps up?

The Mavs are going to need some frontcourt help with The Unicorn on the bench. Expect Maxi Kleber to earn the start. Dallas has listed Willie Cauley-Stein and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as probable for the game. Both men were out on Tuesday against the Spurs. They could be asked to fill in at the five.

Boban Marjanovic will also likely see some run. The 7’4 center has had success against Nikola Jokic in the past. It will be interesting to see how they match up on March 11.

Coach Rick Carlisle has options at the five. It will be interesting to see what he decides to do against the Nuggets. Fans should stay tuned for what should be an exciting game inside the American Airlines Center.