Mavs at Wizards GAMEDAY: Kristaps Porzingis Ruled OUT For Thursday’s Game

Coming off a disheartening loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, can the Dallas Mavericks bounce back against the Washington Wizards on the second night of a back-to-back? If so, Luka Doncic must find his shooting stroke again.

Although the Washington Wizards will be without star shooting guard Bradley Beal on Thursday night, the Dallas Mavericks can’t afford to overlook another undermanned opponent … especially while being on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Mavs dropped a stinker against the Orlando Magic, who was missing Rookie of the Year frontrunner Paolo Banchero, on Wednesday night as Luka Doncic finished with just 24 points on 9-29 shooting from the field.

Doncic will try to get things back on track against old friend Kristaps Porzingis, who the Mavs traded to the Wizards last season in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. Dallas made it to the Western Conference Finals last year, and Porzingis has averaged solid numbers across the board for Washington, so the trade seems to have worked out for both parties, which you don’t see often.

The last time these two teams met, it wasn’t pretty for the Mavs. Can Doncic turn things around on heavy legs? Will Porzingis or Dinwiddie have revenge games against their former teams? We should be in for a fun one in D.C.

UPDATE: Porzingis has been listed as OUT for Thursday's game per the latest official NBA injury report.

Here’s everything else you need to know about tonight’s game:

FLASHBACK: The Mavs got walloped by the Wizards in their first meeting after the trade last season. Porzingis put up 24 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in the Wizards’ 135-103 win, but it was Kendall Caldwell-Pope who shined brightest for Washington with 35 points on 13-19 shooting, including 6-11 from deep. Doncic led the way for Dallas with 36 points.

Not only do we expect a bounce-back performance from Doncic on Thursday night, but we also expect Dinwiddie to have a much better outing against his former team than he did last season. Dinwiddie scored just eight points on 2-6 shooting in 23 minutes off the bench in the blowout loss.

INJURY REPORT (DALLAS): Dāvis Bertans (knee effusion) and Christian Wood (knee sprain) are OUT.

INJURY REPORT (WASHINGTON): Bradley Beal (health and safety protocols) is OUT. Kristaps Porzingis (groin) is OUT.

RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (6-4), Washington Wizards (5-6)

WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022 at 6 p.m. CT

WHERE: Capital One Arena (Washington, DC)

TV: Bally Sports Southwest (BSSW), NBA League Pass

RADIO: 97.1 The Freak, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

ODDS: The Mavs are currently 3-point favorites vs. the Wizards.

NEXT UP: The Mavs head back home for a matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, who are currently tied for the second-best record in the Western Conference. After missing a few games due to injury, Damian Lillard is back, so we are surely in for a fun duel between him and Doncic.

FINAL WORD: "He's just the complete package of a player,” said Porzingis of Doncic ahead of Thursday’s matchup. “He makes it look so easy to where you're like why aren't other guys doing this? But that's why he's Luka, that's why he's special."

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