Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will miss Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night due to a lower left leg injury.
The team ruled Porzingis out about 90 minutes prior to tipoff in Dallas.
“The medical team and the staff just decided that it wasn’t what was best for him (to play) today,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said during his pregame availability.
Porzingis had missed Boston’s 10 games leading up to the Finals due to a calf strain, but he returned for Games 1 and 2 against Dallas, helping the Celtics build a 2-0 series lead. However, at the 3:27 mark of the third quarter of Game 2 on Sunday, Porzingis sustained a dislocation of his left posterior tibialis tendon.
The new injury has no relation to the calf strain.
In the first two games of the Finals, Porzingis averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. He played 21 minutes in Game 1 and 23 in Game 2, coming off the bench both times.
Porzingis, 28, had averages of 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocks across 57 games (all starts) during the regular season. Boston acquired the big man in a trade with the Washington Wizards this past offseason.
Porzingis also played for the Mavericks from 2019-22.
–Field Level Media