Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will miss Game 3 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, The team announced Wednesday night, less than two hours to tip. Porzingis is the first player on the court Team firing On Wednesday, according to multiple reports, he was ultimately unable to do so as Dallas tried to cut Boston’s 2-0 series lead.
The team first announced Tuesday afternoon that Porzingis was “torn.” Intermediate retinaThe posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg allows displacement. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Borsinighis was dealing with a “serious injury,” and when asked if he would play in Game 3, the coach said, “I have no idea.”
“He’s doing anything and everything to be ready for tomorrow’s game.” Masullah said. “It’s a serious injury and at the end of the day, the medical team isn’t going to put him in any bad situation. We’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands because of the importance of him. So he’s going to do everything he can to play and then we’re going to leave it up to our medical team.”
Porzingis picked up the injury with 3:27 left in the third quarter and the Celtics say it was not related to an earlier calf injury in his right leg that sidelined him for most of the playoffs. Porzingis appeared to tweak his right calf in the fourth quarter of Game 2 after struggling again with PJ Washington. He stumbles, falls to the ground miserably, and is seen running back with an awkward gait. He stayed in the game for a few more possessions and then scored. He did not return to the game and was seen with a stretched right leg.
After the game, Porzingis said He didn’t care About the bad fall, and Mazzulla said that his level of concern is “zero”, about the big man of the Celtics, but now it seems that he took a different injury that the team should worry about.
Porzingis being sidelined again changes things for Boston. Porzingis’ rim protection has been key in limiting Dallas’ lob threats, and he’s already grabbed five blocks in two games. He defends well in space and in the paint, and the Mavericks have no answer for him on the other end.
Porzingis was coming off the first two games of the Finals, but he was incredibly effective on the floor, dropping 20 points in Game 1 and 12 in Game 2 on 8-of-13 shooting. The floor spacing he provides makes life difficult for Dallas’ defense, and while the Celtics have no problem playing without him for the Finals, the injury opens the door for the Mavericks to close the gap Boston has created.
Looking for more NBA coverage? John Gonzalez, Bill Reiter, Ashley Nicole Moss and special guests take a daily deep dive into the league’s biggest storylines. Beyond the Arc Podcast.
