New York Knicks: Update on Kristaps Porzingis’ injured knee
The New York Knicks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 111-104, but lost Kristaps Porzingis to a knee injury. Find out the latest on Porzingis’ knee.
Thursday, Dec. 14 proved to be one of the most polarizing evenings in recent New York Knicks history. On one end of the spectrum, the Knicks snapped a six-game road losing streak by defeating the Brooklyn Nets 111-104 at Barclays Center.
On the other end, however, was the harsh reality that it was forced to play the final 21 minutes of the game without franchise player Kristaps Porzingis.
For those who missed it, Porzingis left the clash with Brooklyn at the 9:25 mark of the third quarter. He suffered what appeared to be a non-contact knee injury, and immediately walked to the locker room in what can only be described as a troubling response.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Porzingis felt his knee buckle, and decided to err on the side of caution when he couldn’t shake the discomfort.
"“It’s more just being cautious,’’ Porzingis said. “I had a sharp pain there. I don’t have more information on what’s going on there. But it shouldn’t be — hopefully — it’s not too serious. [Friday] will be much clearer on what’s going on. I’m walking around. It shouldn’t be anything like that [an ACL tear]. I should have some bad pain right now but I’m not.’’“It was one play — pass to the corner to Courtney for the 3,’’ Porzingis said. “The knee buckled a bit. I felt a little pain. I felt the pain and kept playing. But I didn’t feel comfortable jumping off the left leg. Hopefully it’s just a little thing that happens. On the film, I could see [after the pass] I did something with my face. But I kept playing so it shouldn’t be anything bad.’’"
It’s within the realm of possibility that the injury is more severe than it seems, but the early response is that Porzingis and the Knicks were simply playing it safe.
Any time an athlete—or any human being, for that matter—feels their knee buckle, a sense of panic inevitably sets in. That’s the shock pain that Porzingis was describing, and it likely explains why he made a beeline for the locker room in the third quarter.
Porzingis actually felt his knee buckle in the second quarter, but ultimately decided that it wasn’t worth risking a more severe issue during the third.
In the short-term, Porzingis’ teammates rewarded his responsible decision-making by holding on to defeat the Nets 111-104.
I myself have a history of knee injuries. Based on what’s been said, it sounds as though Porzingis felt a weakness and instability that made the simple act of walking uncomfortable. The discomfort generally passes within 30 minutes, but it’s an alarming experience for an individual to endure—athlete or otherwise.
The hope is that the tests will come back negative, the pain will pass, and Porzingis will be able to chalk the discomfort up to cold weather and the stress of recovering from an ankle injury.
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More will be known soon, but for now, Kristaps Porzingis and the New York Knicks are cautiously optimistic.