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Bulls at Mavs GameDay: Hardaway 'Available'; No Porzingis Tonight, But He Hopes To Return at Midweek

Hopefully Positive News Coming This Week For Mavs Star Kristaps Porzingis And His Knee Problem - Not In Time For Tonight's Visit From The Bulls, But Soon

DALLAS - Kristaps Porzingis will not play tonight against the visiting Chicago Bulls as he continues to deal with his knee injury, but he and the Mavs are expressing optimism about a return to action this week.

Meanwhile, the Mavs have good news regarding another recently-hobbled starter.

‘Hardaway is available.’ coach Rick Carlisle said tonight before tipoff.

Porzingis has missed each of Dallas’ last three games, with the 22-13 Mavs losing two of those outings. The Mavs are wise to practice caution with Porzingis given that he missed the entire 2018-19 season after tearing his left ACL in February of 2018 before last year's trade from the Knicks to Dallas.

His reintroduction into the Mavs' starting lineup will mean the addition of a double-double "Unicorn'' who offers up 17 points and 9.4 rebounds per, along with 2.1 blocks per game. He recently drew criticism from the TNT TV panel for his style of play KP was strongly defended by Dallas coach Rick Carlisle as being someone who, when teamed with Luka Doncic, helps the Mavs to a "historically good offense.''

Porzingis played in all but one of Dallas’ first 32 games, much of that time serving as an adjustment period for the newcomer. Here's to Wednesday's game at the AAC against the tough Denver Nuggets possibly serving as a "re-adjustment'' for a hopefully healthy Kristaps Porzingis.

More immediately, tonight's 7:30 tip brings Hardaway (hamstring) back into the fold after missing the Mavs' previous three games. He and the Mavs will see a Bulls team that figures to be playing without Lauri Markkanen, who now has an ankle injury. The Bulls (13-23 and 10th in the East) will rely on usual starters Zach LaVine, Wendell Carter Jr., Kris Dunn and Tomas Satoransky to slow down the Luka Doncic-led Mavs.

Said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle: “Chicago coming in here is ... a hard, fighting team, a lot of resolve, a couple of great young players with LaVine and Markkanen. Carter’s a hell of a player and a lot of other good players, too. We’ve got a lot of work cut out for us.”