New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis suffered a gruesome ankle injury against the Miami Heat. Here’s the latest on his condition.
New York Knicks fans, players, and coaches were left in a terrified state on the night of Wednesday, Nov. 29. Just three minutes into the 115-86 victory over the Miami Heat, franchise player Kristaps Porzingis suffered what can only be described as a gruesome ankle injury.
Although it looked like an injury that could have sidelined Porzingis for weeks, if not months, the early reports are surprisingly encouraging.
Shortly after the injury brought Madison Square Garden to silence, reports surfaced that Porzingis was available to return. It was a stunning turn of events, as it appeared as though said injury would jeopardize New York’s season.
According to the Knicks’ public relations team, Porzingis was diagnosed with a sprained ankle, but the X-rays came back negative for structural damage.
Kristaps Porzingis sprained his right ankle. X-rays were negative. He is available to return.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) November 30, 2017
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Porzingis knew his ankle wasn’t broken when it happened, but feared that there may have been tendon damage.
"“I knew it wasn’t broken,’’ Porzingis said. “I’ve had fractures before. I know how that feels and I knew the bones were fine. It was a tendon [worry]. It looked worse than it felt.”"
Per Berman, Porzingis doesn’t know what future tests will show, or if they’ll be required, but noted that he’s walking without crutches.
"“It’s hard to say,’’ Porzingis said of future tests. “I’m walking around with no crutches, no nothing. We’ll see how it feels [Thursday]. We’ll really know what’s going on.’’"
The Knicks aren’t out of the woods just yet, but Porzingis being able to walk after the game is reason to believe he avoided a season-threatening injury.
Porzingis will know just how comfortable he is walking and playing on his ankle once he wakes up in the morning. The swelling will either subside or inflame, thus providing both Porzingis and the medical staff with an answer as to whether or not he’ll require future tests to be run.
Thankfully, the Knicks won’t play again until Sunday, Dec. 3, when the Orlando Magic make the trip to Madison Square Garden.
That will give Porzingis time to undergo tests, rehabilitate, practice, and, most important of all, rest.
New York offered reason for patience by decimating the Heat by a score of 115-86. The win far from seals the Knicks’ fate as a postseason-bound team, but it pushes Jeff Hornacek’s crew to 11-10 through 21 games.
There’s no guaranteeing that the Knicks will be able to win without Porzingis on Sunday, but at this stage of the season, playing through an injury is less than advisable.
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Only time will tell how soon Kristaps Porzingis can get back to 100 percent, but the New York Knicks are already receiving promising news.