Kristaps Porzingis injury tracker: Updates for Mavericks big man

Update, Nov. 6 - Porzingis is active for Saturday’s game but Jason Kidd said the big man will be on some sort of minutes restriction. This is good news for the Mavericks, who have high expectations for Porzingis this season.

Update, Nov. 5 - Porzingis was back at practice Friday, and is questionable to play in Saturday’s game against the Celtics. The big man has missed five games with the back injury, and the Mavericks hope he can return to the floor this weekend.

Update, Nov. 3 — Porzingis is set to miss his fifth straight game with a back injury. The big man has been ruled out of Wednesday’s contest against the Spurs, causing some concern for the Mavericks. Porzingis is crucial to the team’s playoff hopes, so he might continue to miss games until fully healthy.

Update, Oct. 28 — Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out for Thursday night’s game vs. the San Antonio Spurs due to a back injury. Trey Burke and Sterling Brown are also out while Boban Marjanovic is questionable to play for Dallas. With Porzingis already ruled out, we should see more shot opportunities go toward Tim Hardaway Jr.

Maxi Kleber will likely start at PF in place of Porzingis against the Spurs. Kleber becomes a solid value option on DraftKings at $3,200, but beware that his ownership will likely be very high in tournaments and cash lineups. The Mavericks could opt for smaller lineups featuring Jalen Brunson and/or Reggie Bullock with Dorian Finney-Smith at PF. DFS is another solid option for value at $4,900 on DK. He may have lower ownership, though his floor is very enticing with Porzingis out and more rebounds up for grabs.

Update: The Mavericks officially ruled out Porzingis for the rest of Tuesday’s game against the Rockets.

The Dallas Mavericks saw big man Kristaps Porzingis exit Tuesday’s game against the Houston Rockets with lower back tightness. He is doubtful to return to the contest. The Mavericks acquired Porzingis in an effort to pair Luka Doncic with a second budding star but it hasn’t panned out quite as expected. This is a big season for Porzingis, who is hoping to show he’s a long-term answer alongside Doncic in Dallas.

Kristaps Porzingis injury: Fantasy basketball impact

Porzingis isn’t much of a rebounding threat, so that element of his game was never going to be a big plus. His three-point shooting will be missed dearly, especially at his position. Porzingis has struggled to score at times, but he is Dallas’ second option when on the court. If he misses extended time, expect Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith to see additional opportunities. Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber could also be in line for more minutes if Porzingis is sidelined for a long time.

Betting impact

The Mavericks were favored to win the division, according to DraftKings Sportsbook and are still in that position. If Porzingis was to miss extended time, it might be a good idea to avoid betting on Dallas for a few games to see how the team fares without the big man. The Mavericks would still be a playoff threat as long as Doncic is around, so long-term futures are likely still intact depending on Porzingis’ injury timeline.