MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. will undergo an MRI after spraining his left ankle late in the first quarter of a season-opening 133-120 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said it “didn’t look good, I’ll just say that” while adding that Porter would have the MRI on Thursday.
“We’ve just got to hope for the best, but looking at it, it was a pretty bad sprain,” Rivers said.
The 25-year-old Porter had 10 points and two assists in 9 1/2 minutes before getting hurt.
He was heading backward as Washington’s Cam Whitmore was driving into the paint. Porter appeared to trip over the foot of teammate Bobby Portis, and he laid on the floor in pain before heading to the locker room.
Rivers said Porter’s injury may have caused the Bucks’ ball movement and defensive intensity to dip after Milwaukee outscored Washington 40-23 in the first quarter.
“Not having ‘Scoot’ out there was huge,” Rivers said.
If Porter’s injury forces him to miss multiple games, it likely would result in more playing time for Ryan Rollins and Cole Anthony.
Porter provided a big boost last season after the Bucks acquired him from the Los Angeles Clippers at the trade deadline. He averaged 11.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 rebounds in 30 games with Milwaukee. In 45 games with the Clippers, Porter averaged 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
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