Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis day-to-day following negative MRI

An MRI on the injured ankle of New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzginis revealed no damage.

New York Knicks fans can breathe a sigh of relief after an MRI on Kristaps Porzingis’ injured ankle came back negative. The star big man sprained his ankle in the first quarter of Wednesday’s clash with the Heat when Miami’s Justise Winslow stepped on his right foot, causing Porzingis’ ankle to buckle. The injury looked very serious at the time, especially when viewed in slow motion. Porzginis’ ankle bent in such a fashion that it actually touched the floor, and fans that saw the injury surely feared the worst for the talented youngster.

Porzginis had to be helped off the court and to the locker room, though some relief arrived quickly when initial x-rays taken Wednesday night came back negative. An MRI Thursday revealed no damage to the Latvian’s ankle, which should prevent Porzingis from experiencing any kind of lengthy absence from the court.

Porzginis is considered day-to-day following the MRI, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:

This is as good of a result as the Knicks could have hoped for, as the injury looked ugly. New York currently sits at 11-10, in the mix for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Knicks have exceeded preseason expectations to this point, and Porzingis has been the biggest reason for that. The third-year pro is averaging 25.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest while shooting good percentages from the field and 3-point range.

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Porzingis is now the face of the Knicks franchise in the wake of the team trading Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason. The 7’3″ forward has received much more offensive responsibility this season, and his usage rate trails only James Harden among qualified players. Porzginis could very well have the pole position for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award at this juncture of the season.