Mavericks' Kristaps Porzingis Questionable vs Sixers
While the Sixers will be at full strength on Monday night (minus their new additions,) the same cannot be said for the Dallas Mavericks. Along with possibly being without the services of JJ Redick, they could be without another one of their key players.
Kristaps Porzingis was sidelined when these two teams met back in February and could see that same fate again. As of the latest injury report, the Mavericks' starting center is questionable with what is being listed as injury management.
Porzingis has battled with the injury bug for a large majority of his career, so the Mavs being cautious with one of their stars isn't shocking. So far this season, the 25-year-old has only managed to appear in 34 games.
With this game being the second leg of a back-to-back for the Mavericks, they may decide not to try and overwork Porzingis as they gear for the postseason.
Being without him could be a big blow to the Mavericks, as he is a key piece to their play on both sides. Porzingis' ability to step out and hit shots from beyond the arc makes him a great pairing with Luka Doncic in the two-man game.
Along with his fit alongside Doncic, he is also atop the team's leaders in multiple statistical categories. Porzingis is the Mavericks' second-leading scorer at 20.7 PPG. Not to mention, he leads them in rebounds per game at 9.4 and blocks per game 1.6.
When facing the Sixers, a team needs all the size they can get. Being without your starting center and having to defend a player like Joel Embiid is not a great place to be.
Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.
