Knicks' Porzingis Has Bruised Knee, Expects To Play On Christmas
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Kristaps Porzingis put a scare into Knicks fans Thursday night when he left their game against Orlando with a knee injury. But the big man said Friday he plans to be back in action for the Christmas Day showdown against the Celtics.
In fact, he's been particularly looking forward to this one.
"Oh, it's going to be huge," Porzingis told Newsday. "At the Garden? Already the atmosphere [at the Garden] is unbelievable. I can't imagine what's going to happen on Sunday. I'm looking forward to it."
Porzingis' knee collided with Magic center Nikola Vucevic's knee during the fourth quarter of the Knicks' 106-95 win. It's been diagnosed as a bruised knee.
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Porzingis participated in noncontact drills at practice Friday and went through a long shooting session after his teammates left.
The 7-foot-3 power forward from Latvia is averaging 19.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season.
The Knicks are 16-13 and tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the 17-12 Celtics.