Milwaukee Bucks’ Kevin Porter Jr. explains his back injury vs. Wizards
Bucks guard Kevin Porter hopes to be back for the next game after being forced out of the game against the Wizards. Hear what he said.
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 30 points in 31 minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Washington Wizards.He left the game in the fourth quarter with what the team later described as a lower back spasm.This was Porter’s second game back after missing 19 games due to an ankle sprain and subsequent knee surgery.The Bucks ultimately lost to the Wizards 129-126 after Porter’s exit.
WASHINGTON – In his second game back from knee surgery, Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. put on a much needed offensive clinic against the Washington Wizards but left with a spasm in his lower back in the fourth quarter of what became a 129-126 loss Dec. 1.
Porter said he felt a twinge in his back during his debut game against Brooklyn on Nov. 29, but he chalked it up to soreness after missing almost six weeks of play.
“I think it’s just my body still trying to ramp up,” Porter said after the game. “It tightened up on an offensive rebound; with about five minutes left. I tried to play through it a little bit. But then I tried it again on the offensive rebound and just caught it. I wasn’t going to be able to lead my team with how my body was. So, that was that.”
Porter was confident he would be ready to play against Detroit on Dec. 3, though.
The shooting guard showed his explosiveness with a couple of strong drives to the rim, but he also showed his midrange and 3-point ability with a 30-point game in 31 minutes.
He put the Bucks up 16 points in the third quarter on back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter, giving him 23 points in 26 minutes.
He added another seven points in his next five minutes of play to stake the Bucks a lead in the fourth quarter, but unfortunately he doubled over in pain about halfway through the frame. Porter signaled to head coach Doc Rivers he needed a timeout to get off the court, and after briefly getting some attention from team trainers on the bench, Porter went to the locker room with his team up 111-108.
“I think it’s just ramping up, trying to get back to being in game shape and a spasm happens,” he said. “It’s unfortunate of course with the loss. I feel like if I was in there I could’ve helped control the game a little bit. It was unfortunate, especially the time it happened.”
Porter missed 19 games after suffering a sprained ankle against Washington in the opener Oct. 22. Then, during his training to come back from that injury, he tore the meniscus in his right knee Oct. 30 and had surgery Nov. 3.
He played 24 minutes against Brooklyn on Nov. 29, going 4-for-10 from the floor for 13 points while handing out six assists.