UPDATE (12:00 p.m.) - Porzingis will have to wait to make his season debut as the Mavericks game vs the Pelicans was postponed on Monday night due to the league's Health and Safety Protocols.
The Mavericks next game is set for Wednesday night in Charlotte vs the Hornets, but it's currently unknown if that game will be played.
DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis is set to make his season debut tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Monday.
Porzingis was listed as questionable on the team's latest injury report on Sunday. Additionally, he is listed as the probable starter for the game, according to the team's media notes.
The Mavericks' star center has been practicing the past two weeks in preparation for his return to game action.
"I felt good out there, moving around & feeling the contact," Porzingis said after practice on Dec 29. "After practice, I played some 1-on-1s. I wanna get back into the rhythm of playing against contact. The next step is getting right to be able to step on the court & play a game."
Porzingis has been missing from the lineup since the end of last season's game three playoff loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, and attempted to play through the injury, scoring 34 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in his final game.
"Physically, I'm getting pretty close to where I need to be," Porzingis said. "Now it's just a matter of putting in more work and feeling more comfortable out there. Doubt is removed by action, so I'm putting in the work to make sure when I do step on the court I'm confident and ready to go."
Dallas got off to a slow start to begin the season, but they've won three straight to improve their record to 5-4.
Porzingis' addition comes at an especially important time as the Mavs are expected to be missing at least four players tonight due to the league's Health and Safety Protocols.