“The Franchise’’ is done for the year.
A Garden night of horrors came to a sad end when the Knicks announced late Tuesday night that first-time All-Star Kristaps Porzingis has a torn ACL in his left knee.
The Knicks didn’t announce a timetable, but the 7-foot-3 Latvian will need surgery and is done for the season. His availability for training camp in late September is in doubt.
A review of torn ACLs in the NBA in recent years show absences that range from seven to 12 months.
The injury, which occurred after his dunk over Giannis Antetokounmpo happened 12 days before Porzingis was slated to make his first All-Star appearance, in Los Angeles for Team LeBron.
LeBron James, who selected Porzingis for his team, wrote on Twitter:
The news of Porzingis’ torn ACL — a blow that imperils the organization’s future — came after reporters had left the Knicks’ locker room following their 103-89 loss to the Bucks.
But the gloomy feeling inside indicated this was inevitable after Porzingis got helped off the court by teammates with 8:46 left in the second quarter, unable to put pressure on his left leg.
Willy Hernangomez, Porzingis’ best friend, was anxious in the locker room moments before as he texted his buddy without hearing back.
“Ten days away, All-Star,’’ Hernangomez said softy. “You can’t believe how much he wanted to be there. We’re going to be positive.’’
It didn’t work. Porzingis was brought to the locker room, then left before halftime for the Hospital for Special Surgery after landing awkwardly after his dunk over Antetokounmpo, who seemed to undercut him.
“It sucks, man, it sucks,’’ Tim Hardaway Jr. said after surviving his own left-leg scare in the fourth quarter.
Porzingis went up for the right-handed slam as Antetokounmpo stretched his arm out for the block. Porzingis executed the slam, but his left leg buckled as he landed hard.
He crumpled to the court, wincing in agony, and immediately clutched the back of his knee — a bad sign and one usually associated with ACL damage, according to medical experts.
“It was kind of a rough play,” said Antetokounmpo, who later tweeted a message of support for Porzingis. “I don’t think I pushed him there, I think he just landed not the way he wanted. I hope he’s OK, because he’s close friends with me.”
Asked his emotions, Hardaway said somberly: “I go back to always thinking about we had our groove at the beginning of the season and what if. ‘What if I didn’t have to go down? What if KP didn’t miss some games?’ It’s a hard pill to swallow. It’s reality. It’s bigger than basketball. Your body needs to be healthy and got to be ready for situations. It sucks that players are taking a blow right now.’’
Porzingis went for an MRI exam, leaving the arena on his on his own power, but wearing a left-leg brace.
“When I see him holding his knee, I can’t describe in words,’’ said Enes Kanter, who has to undergo oral surgery for his lip. “A terrible feeling.’’
As Kanter stood over Porzingis, the Knicks center had a sickened look. Porzingis stayed down for a minute before being helped off the court, without putting weight on his leg.
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek looked pained on the bench all game long, knowing the worst-case scenario was probable.
“It’s always tough when a guy goes down until you find out what’s wrong,’’ Hornacek said before the torn ACL was confirmed. “You see horrible injuries you can tell off the bat, but I don’t want to speculate. It’s deflating. Part of what we’re trying to build around, running things through him. Other guys are going to have to step up and we’ll do things in different ways.’’
Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Steve Perry, who put his hand on his head, bounced out of their seats and rushed to the locker room following the injury. The Garden was eerily quiet as Doug McDermott was announced as Porzingis’ replacement.
Porzingis had missed seven games this season because of knee and ankle issues and was averaging 22.9 points.
Two weeks ago, Porzingis sat out a contest against the Warriors to rest his left knee after landing badly in a practice session collision with Joakim Noah the day before. It was the same night Porzingis was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve.
Durability long has been an issue for Porzingis. Entering the season, he had missed 26 games in his first two years with various ailments, including shoulder and Achilles tendon injuries.
Now he’s done after playing 47 games this season, falling short of making it to All-Star Sunday.