Report: ‘Real doubt’ Kristaps Porzingis returns to NBA Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Kristaps Porzingis will not suit up for the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals, and there appears to be a strong possibility that he will miss the rest of the series.
Shortly before the 8:30 p.m. ET kickoff, Porzingis was discarded for Wednesday’s game due to a “rare” injury to his left leg suffered in Game 2. The star big man was originally listed as questionable with a left tibialis posterior dislocation.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis’ injury situation will improve It’s still a “day-to-day thing.” However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski shared a more pessimistic outlook during NBA countdownreporting that there are “real doubts” that Porzingis could return at any point in the series.
For what it’s worth, Porzingis told NBA TV’s Jared Greenberg He will return. That’s an encouraging sign, but that decision will likely be out of his hands as the Celtics’ medical team will have the final say.
Porzingis’ absence will be a blow to Boston’s frontcourt. Veteran Al Horford will once again be asked to play more minutes at center with Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman contributing off the bench.
In his two Finals appearances, Porzingis helped the Celtics take a 2-0 series lead with 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 21.9 minutes per game.
