Why is Kristaps Porzingis not playing tonight against Dallas Mavericks? Celtics center's Game 3 absence explored (June 12)
Kristaps Porzingis sounded the alarms for the Boston Celtics when it was announced that he picked up a new injury. The Latvian big man had returned after missing the entire Eastern Conference semis and finals, making an instant impact for the C's.
However, the situation has gotten sour for the 17-time NBA champions, as Porzingis is expected to miss Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the Celtics are ruling out Porzingis for tonight's game due to his injury.
After Game 2 of the series, several reports surfaced about this new injury. The torn medial retinaculum is an uncommon injury in the NBA. This was the first time many fans heard about this issue, and one doctor explained what it is on social media.
"The medial retinaculum is like a seat belt that keeps the tendons in place as they course around the inside of the ankle bone," Brian Sutterer explained on X/Twitter. "There are three tendons that travel along the inside of the ankle, and that seatbelt keeps them secured in place. The posterior tibialis tendon is one of said tendons."
Kristaps Porzingis returned to the court in big fashion, being a key player in the Celtics' first two wins in the series. If the Celtics want to win this series, they're better off having a fully healthy roster.
Kristaps Porzingis said he was optimistic about this injury
Kristaps Porzingis voiced his optimism about this unexpected issue yesterday.
"I'm optimistic," Porzingis said on Tuesday. "As I said, I will do everything I can to be out there tomorrow and we'll see. ... Nothing is going to stop me unless I'm told I'm not allowed to play [by the medical staff]. ... Obviously, this is a rough patch, you know, coming back and having something happen right away, it's tough."
The Celtics are visiting the Dallas Mavericks tonight and they hope to take the third win of the series and get an advantage that nobody has overcome before. The Mavs are ready to get the first victory in the matchup and Porzingis' absence might play an important role in that task.