Porzingis rejoins Mavs after missing 10 games with sore knee

Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Doncic, left, and forward Kristaps Porzingis sit on the bench during the first half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

DALLAS— Kristaps Porzingis was back in the lineup for Dallas against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night after missing 10 games with right knee soreness.

The 7-foot-3 forward was expected to return almost a week ago in Sacramento, but was a late scratch when knee soreness returned during warm-ups. Porzingis missed another game because he was also dealing with an illness.

The 24-year-old Latvian has paired with fellow European Luka Doncic to get the Mavericks back in playoff contention after Dallas missed the postseason the past three years. It’s the longest playoff drought for the franchise in 20 years.

Porzingis entered the game against the Clippers second on the team to Doncic in scoring and rebounding at 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

Porzingis is in his first season with Dallas after getting traded by the New York Knicks almost a year ago while still recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Porzingis sustained that injury in February 2018, just after he was named to the All-Star team.