NBA insider gives grim news about Kristaps Porzingis' NBA Finals return
Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out for Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks and his availability for the rest of the series is uncertain, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
Kristaps Porzingis sustained a rare tendon injury in his lower left leg during Game 2. It has been diagnosed as a torn medial retinaculum, leading to a dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon.
Wojnarowski reported on NBA Countdown that there is "real doubt" about Porzingis' availability for the remainder of the finals. Boston leads the series 2-0, with Game 3 being the first game in Dallas.
“There's real doubt about Kristaps Porzingis' availability for the rest of this series,” Wojnarowski said.
“It was the Celtics medical staff that ruled him out. They watched him go through some testing earlier today and decided that they were not going to let him play, despite the fact that he wanted to push through and try to participate in Game 3.”
With Porzingis out, the Celtics will rely on Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman to be their big men. Porzingis averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in the first two games of this year’s finals.
“You saw the impact he had in Game 1 after having been out since the first round against Miami. Now…there's real doubt about Kristaps Porzingis' availability for the rest of these finals,” Wojnarowski said.
The injury, which occurred at the 3:27 mark of the third quarter in Game 2, has been deemed serious by Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. Porzingis underwent an MRI on Tuesday, revealing the extent of the injury.
Kristaps Porzingis' injury is unrelated to his prior calf injury
In a press release, the Celtics clarified that Kristaps Porzingis' recent injury was not related to the calf strain he suffered in Game 4 of the first round against Miami on April 29, which led to him missing 10 consecutive playoff games.
In his playoff return, which is during Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Porzingis played 21 minutes, recording 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. In Game 2, he contributed 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks against his former team.
Porzingis came off the bench in both games, with Horford taking the starting center spot.
The Celtics were plus-25 in the 44 minutes Porzingis played over the first two games of the series and even in the 52 minutes he was on the bench.