The Boston Celtics will be without star center Kristaps Porzingis for Game 3 of their NBA Finals matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night as he deals with a leg injury.
But there’s apparently concern that a return at any point during the Finals is plausible.
Appearing on “NBA Countdown,” ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski said there’s “real doubt” that Porzingis will play another game in the NBA Finals. The Celtics ruled him out for Game 3, and coach Joe Mazzulla ruled Porzingis as day-to-day.
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Wojnarowski said Porzingis wanted to play Wednesday night, but the medical team made the call that he should sit — which is what Mazzulla said during his pregame conference at American Airlines Center.
“He didn’t look right,” the coach told reporters. “It was out of his hands, it was the medical team’s (decision). They watched him go through some testing and they said it didn’t feel right.”
Porzingis suffered a a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg toward the end of Boston’s Game 2 win at TD Garden. He traveled with the team to Dallas, but Mazzulla admitted it was a “rare” and “serious” injury.
The Celtics played a majority of the playoffs without Porzingis due to a right calf injury until he returned for the NBA Finals. He made an immediate impact and played a crucial role in helping the Celtics go up 2-0 in the series.
Unlike the first two games of the series, there’s only one night off between Games 3 and 4, limiting the rest Porzingis will get. But for now, Boston will try to take a commanding 3-0 series lead without its center.
