After suffering a calf injury in Game 4 of the Boston Celtics’ first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Kristaps Porzingis injured his leg again in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics just announced Kristaps Porzingis is day-to-day with a left leg injury. He also appeared to tweak his right leg in Game 2. pic.twitter.com/ETjPWm5gtm
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 11, 2024
Kristaps Porzingis has suffered a torn medial retinaculum, per @ShamsCharania
He is considered to be day-to-day with this injury pic.twitter.com/4EQmSKdtWJ
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) June 11, 2024
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla weighed in on Porzingis’ injury and called it “serious.”
Mazzulla on Kristaps: “It’s a serious injury. … We’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands.”
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) June 11, 2024
Porzingis contributed on both ends of the court in Boston’s NBA Finals wins in Games 1 and 2. In Game 1, he was arguably the team’s best player, as he totaled 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from deep while also contributing six rebounds and three blocks.
Part of what makes Porzingis’ Game 1 stats so impressive is the fact that he logged just over 20 minutes of playing time, meaning he scored practically one point per minute against his former team. Plus, the Latvian had been sidelined for more than a month with his soleus strain in his right calf before taking the floor for the first game of the championship series.
The 28-year-old wasn’t as dominant in Game 2 as he was in Game 1, but he still ended up with 12 points — the fifth-most of any Celtic — four rebounds and a pair of blocks.
The Celtics are seemingly now in jeopardy of having to once again adjust to life without Porzingis in Wednesday’s Game 3, though Porzingis claims that the only reason he won’t play is if the team’s medical staff won’t allow him to take the court.
Porzingis says he's optimistic and nothing is gonna stop him unless the medical staff says he can't play
— John Karalis 🇬🇷🇺🇦 (@John_Karalis) June 11, 2024
On the bright side for Celtics fans, the team has fared at an incredibly high level on the road this postseason. While the squad has dropped multiple games at home in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Boston has yet to lose away from home.
In the Celtics’ previous series against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, Boston won Games 3 and 4 in Indiana by three points each to complete their sweep.
Celtics fans are surely hoping that Porzingis will suit up for the critical Game 3, as Boston has the potential to take a 3-0 series lead with a win, and no team in NBA playoff history has come back to win a series after trailing 0-3.
