In the latest Kristaps Porzingis injury update, it appears that the New York Knicks star is improving after removing himself from a game a few nights ago. Porzingis had been dealing with a knee injury he suffered on Thursday night in his team’s win over the Brooklyn Nets. After he sustained the injury, Porzingis told the media he didn’t feel it was a serious issue and it’s looking like he has a shot at playing in a huge game where Carmelo Anthony returns to face his former team at the “Mecca of Basketball.”
During Thursday’s game against Brooklyn, Porzingis twisted his knee during the first half of the contest. He had the injury worked on, but the extent of tests performed on it is unknown. According to ESPN , Porzingis was said to have felt that his knee was improving as of Friday and the last injury report had him listed as “day-to-day.” The New York Knicks are slated to host Carmelo Anthony and the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. That game will be a quick turnaround for OKC. The team won a 119-117 triple overtime game against the 76ers in Philadelphia on Friday night.
Porzingis spoke about how he felt after the injury occurred in the game and about why he decided to come out in the third quarter.
“I felt my knee buckle a little bit, and I felt a little pain there. So it’s more about being cautious. I had a little shock pain there, and that’s it.
“I just ran up and down a few times, and I felt it wasn’t right…. I felt that I don’t have the strength that I want to have. It just didn’t feel right.”
With their win over Brooklyn on Thursday, the New York Knicks improved to 15-13 for the season. Porzingis has become the major star of the team since Carmelo Anthony was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder during the offseason. The Knicks’ big man is averaging 26 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game so far this season.
While the Thunder will enter Saturday night’s game tired after a triple-overtime contest, the Knicks may be depleted a bit. Guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is already injured and Kristaps Porzingis would make for another unavailable player on the roster. It’s said that if “The Unicorn” is unable to go in Saturday’s contest, then the starting lineup could include Lance Thomas and Michael Beasley to help fill the void in the Knicks frontcourt.
