DALLAS — Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis walked without a limp into Boston’s media availability one day before Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but his status for Wednesday’s game with the Mavericks was unclear due to a new lower leg injury unrelated to the calf issue that sidelined him for more than a month of the playoffs.
“It’s a serious injury,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Tuesday afternoon. “At the end of the day, the medical team is not going to put him in any bad situations. We’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands.”
Porzingis said he’s optimistic he can take the court because “I have to be,” but claimed not to know the specifics or risk related to playing with what is reportedly a torn ligament. Specifically, the Celtics announced Tuesday that Porzingis has a “torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg at 3:27 of the third quarter of Game 2.”
Porzingis averaged 16 points per game in the first two games of the series as the Finals shift back to Dallas, where Porzingis played alongside Luka Doncic from 2019-22 before a trade to the Wizards.
“I felt something, now I have to deal with it. It’s going to be day-to-day. We’ll see how I am tomorrow,” Porzingis said. “As I said, I will do everything I can to be out there.”
Porzingis dismissed the notion that the recent injury spell is a hurdle for him mentally. He said there is no connection between the injuries.
“This is a rough patch having something happen right away. Tough moment right now,” he said. “But, feel pretty good.”
Doncic will reportedly receive a pain-killing injection before Game 3 after doing the same prior to Game 2 in Boston as treatment for a chest contusion, ESPN reported. He was listed as questionable for Game 2 as he deals with leg, ankle and chest injuries, then scored 32 points with 11 rebounds and 11 assists in 42 minutes.
“I feel good. I don’t want to get into any more details, but I feel good” Doncic said when asked about his chest injury.
–Field Level Media