Mavs' Porzingis has knee surgery after injury in playoffs

Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis had surgery to address a lateral meniscus injury in his right knee, and the team said Friday there was no timetable for a return.

The 7-foot-3 Latvian injured the knee in the opener of a first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers in August. Porzingis played the next two games before being sidelined the remainder of a series won in six games by the Clippers.

The Mavericks ended a three-year run of missing the playoffs behind the European pairing of Porzingis and 21-year-old sensation Luka Doncic.

It isn't clear when NBA training camps will start because of the pandemic, but Commissioner Adam Silver has said he doesn't expect next season to begin before January.

Porzingis averaged 20.4 points and 9.5 rebounds in his first season with Dallas. He missed all of 2018-19 after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in what ended up being his final game with the New York Knicks in February 2018.

The Mavericks acquired Porzingis in a seven-player deal before the trading deadline in 2019 and immediately said he wouldn't play the rest of that season. He signed a $158 million, five-year max contract with Dallas in July 2019.

Image credits: AP