Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis could make his season debut Monday night against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Porzingis, who underwent surgery in October to treat a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee, is listed as questionable for the first time this season. He’s listed among the likely Mavs starters in team press releases.
Porzingis has been a complete participant in the Mavs’ practices for the past two weeks as he has been preparing for his return. He’s been in good health but said he needed time to practice and exercise to get back on track before playing in games.
The addition of Porzingis would help the Mavs deal with a deep problem created by a recent pair of positive COVID-19 tests and related contact tracing on the list. Power forward Maxi Kleber, forward Dorian Finney-Smith, guard Josh Richardson and point guard Jalen Brunson are all on the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
The 7-foot-3 Porzingis, who missed a season and a half while recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee suffered in February 2018, suffered the most recent injury in the first game of the playoff series. of the Mavs against the LA Clippers in August. He played the next two games, including a 34-point, 13-rebound performance in Game 3, before knee pain and stiffness forced Porzingis to sit for the remainder of the series.
Porzingis, 25, averaged 20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks during his first season with the Mavericks in 2019-20.
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