I could only imagine the horrific gasps and recoiling that were emitted by New York Knicks fans during the first quarter of Wednesday night’s win against the Miami Heat when star man Kristaps Porzingis looked to have severely rolled his ankle while pursuing a loose ball.
Heck, even when I saw it I muttered to myself “well, this can’t be good.”
Kristaps Porzingis had to be helped to the locker room after suffering an ankle injury. #Knicks pic.twitter.com/SA1HJQbm3G
— Hashtag Basketball (@hashBasketball) November 30, 2017
Yet somehow, his x-rays came back negative and the 7-foot-3 Latvian that many around the NBA like to call “the Unicorn” tried to get back in the game.
Granted, the Knicks didn’t really need him considering they breezed to a 29-point win over Miami behind 22-point, 14-rebound effort from Enes Kanter.
After the game though, Porzingis admitted that there is another animal, far more non-fictional and much more reptilian, that he has been compared to, though it has nothing to do with his playing ability.
“They call me ‘the lizard’ because I recover so quickly from things,” Porzingis told reporters after the game. “So hopefully [the ankle is] nothing too big. I’m going to get treatment, stay on top of this, and hopefully, the lizard can be ready for Sunday.”
Porzingis has missed two games this season due to back, elbow and ankle issues, though they were isolated incidents and the absences lasted for just one game apiece.
Maybe Knicks fans should consider tweaking his nickname to something like “the Unizard” or “the Lizicorn”. At the end of the day though, all that matters is that he’s staying healthy and leading the Knicks toward a resurgent future.
