Kristaps Porzingis injury update: Knicks star out for remainder of the season

In an unfortunate development, the New York Knicks (23-32) have lost franchise star Kristaps Porzingis to a season-ending knee injury. Porzingis suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during the Knicks' 103-89 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT).

The injury occurred in the early stages of the second quarter when Porzingis landed on Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo's foot after throwing down a ferocious dunk. The Latvian forward collapsed and clutched his knee before being helped off the floor by a few Knicks teammates. As expected, Porzingis avoided putting pressure on his left leg. After the game, an emergency MRI at Madison Square Garden revealed that Porzingis had torn his ACL.

Porzingis, 22, had assumed the role of New York's new franchise player. The Knicks front office had made an effort to build a young core around Porzingis, viewed by many as a superstar-level player.

Enes Kanter, Porzingis' frontcourt partner, was devastated at learning the diagnosis of the injury. "(He's) more than a basketball player, he's my brother. I don't want to see anyone going down like that hurting his knee. He's about to be an All-Star. I'm just going to pray for him tonight. He is the most important part of our family," said Kanter, who was traded to New York from Oklahoma City last year.

According to ESPN's Ian Bagley "as of late Tuesday night, surgery for Porzingis had not been scheduled. A timetable for his return will be established after surgery, but the expectation is that Porzingis will be side lined for at least 10 months."

Kristaps Porzingis is averaging a career-high tally of 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks this season. Porzingis was due to play his first NBA All-Star game later this month at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Stay tuned for the latest Kristaps Porzingis injury update.