Kristaps Porzingis is expected to be back on the court Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when the Dallas Mavericks visit the high-flying Brooklyn Nets in a nationally televised game on ABC.
Porzingis missed the previous three games with lower back stiffness, but went through a full practice session on Friday in New York without complications.
“I felt pretty good,” Porzingis said. “I hope I can play (Saturday). It’s always tough to sit out. I just try to stay focused on the work I need to do to be able to come back as soon as possible and to feel good on the court. That’s most important.”
The last time Porzingis played in a game was Feb. 14 when he collected 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocks during a 121-118 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. After that the Mavs had contests against Detroit and Houston postponed due to the severe weather in Texas, and Porzingis sat out games this week against Memphis, Boston and Philadelphia while nursing his stiff lower back.
Porzingis isn’t sure what happened to make his back tighten up, but said: “I got it looked at and (the Mavs’ medical staff) decided that I should sit out and get some rest and make sure I’m healthy when I’m playing. I felt pretty good already yesterday.
“I worked out on the court (before Thursday’s game against Philadelphia), but they wanted me to have a practice before I started playing again, and today we went through a full practice and I feel good and I’m hopeful that I’m ready to go tomorrow.”
Mavs coach Rick Carlisle echoed that narrative, adding: “We’ll see where he is in the morning with everything – if there are any issues. If there aren’t any issues, then I’ll expect he’ll play.”
In order for them to get where they want to go, the Mavs (15-16) know they need a healthy Porzingis. While he was playing for the New York Knicks, Porzingis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and underwent surgery on Feb. 13, 2018. The Mavs acquired Porzingis in a blockbuster trade with the Knicks on Jan. 31, 2019 – while he was still rehabbing the surgically repaired knee — and he subsequently sat out the remainder of the season.
In his first season playing for the Mavs, Porzingis regained the form that led him to be named to the 2018 Eastern Conference All-Star team as he averaged 20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and two blocks in 57 games while playing 31.8 minutes per contest.
Unfortunately, while the Mavs were playing the Los Angeles Clippers in the first-round of the playoffs last summer, Porzingis sat out the last three games of that best-of-seven series with right knee soreness. And on Oct. 9 Porzingis underwent surgery to address a lateral meniscus injury of his right knee.
That forced Porzingis to miss the first 10 games of the 2020-21 season. Now this.
“It’s always frustrating, but it’s a part of the game,” Porzingis said. “I just haven’t had the best luck in that sense. I’ve had some injuries, and when I’m fighting through them and I’m coming back, then another little thing happens here and there. It’s been a little bit like that so far.
“What I’m working toward is making sure my body is strong and durable that I can just play without thinking about anything, without worrying or just being free out there and just playing and enjoying the game that I love, and that’s it. I’m happy that I’m moving in the right direction and I expect to play tomorrow.”
Porzingis’ name was recently mentioned in trade rumors, but owner Mark Cuban and Carlisle categorically denied that the team had the 7-3 forward/center on the trading blocks.
“I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes,” Porzingis said. “I shouldn’t be too worried about it. It can only distract me.
“I try to focus on being in the moment, being here at the end of the day, putting in the work with my teammates and getting better as a basketball player again, and that’s it. As I said, it’s not much I can do at this point but just focus on playing, playing well.”
Carlisle wants Porzingis to have a much larger impact on defense, noting that he can do that by getting in a better defensive stance.
“Getting in a defensive stance is something that is a fatiguing thing,” Carlisle said. “NBA players, they play anywhere from a few seconds or a couple of minutes or eight-to-12 minutes at a time normally. And being able to be in a stance for that period of time requires a high level of conditioning, and that’s why it is very challenging, particularly when you’re 7-3 and you have all this angularity going with your body type.
“I thought he did a good job today in practice. We did a lot of defensive stuff of getting down. We worked through a lot of different scenarios with base coverages and switches – you’ve got to be down and ready. If he’s able to play tomorrow, which I’m anticipating is likely, this will be a great challenge for your first game back in a while.”
Porzingis, who is averaging 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks this season while playing 29.9 minutes in 17 games, knows he has the capacity to step up his game on the defensive end of the floor.
“I’ve had situations where, when we’re on defense you see with your eyes and your mind and you want to react and you’re just half-a-step late or you’re not there,” Porzingis said. “That’s a frustrating feeling, too, when you know you can do it, but you just don’t do it. That’s been on my mind.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of work and being conscious of making sure I’m in a good stance where I can react quickly and do what I do out there on the defensive end. It’s frustrating when I feel like I can do a bit better. It’s obviously a team game, but I look at what I can do and that’s what I’m focused on. I feel like I’m getting better, so that’s a good sign.”
Black History Month moment: Carlisle started Friday’s post-practice media session by using his black history moment to share some thoughts about Eugene Goodman.
“African American, Eugene Goodman, an American law enforcer officer and U. S. Army veteran, is the acting Deputy Sergeant at Arms of the U. S. Senate as of Jan. 20, 2021,” Carlisle said. “He is known for his actions as the officer for the Capitol Police during the 2021 storming of the US Capitol in which he diverted rioters from the Senate chamber.
“As of Jan. 20, there is legislation pending to award Goodman the Congressional Medal of Honor. If you saw the video, which I just did. . .what he did to keep those rioters from immediately storming the Capitol was pretty tremendous.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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