Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis Looks 'Very Uncomfortable' Before Game 5 Against Mavericks

BOSTON — After losing Game 4 of the NBA Finals in blowout fashion, the Boston Celtics have a chance to close out the series against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden on Monday night. It remains to be seen if Kristaps Porzingis can play in Game 5.

Porzingis has been sidelined since Game 2 after being diagnosed with a "rare" leg injury, precisely a left posterior tibialis dislocation. He is listed as questionable for Game 5, but the lack of tangible progress offers little reason to be optimistic about his chances to play.

"I haven't talked to him yet," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said on Sunday. "Going to talk about that before we start [practice]. ... So I'm not sure kind of where he's at. But he's trying and doing everything he can to try to put himself in position to be out there. I know that for sure."

Jun 14, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) looks on before game four of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports | Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Porzingis missed over five weeks due to a right calf strain sustained in Game 4 of Boston’s first-round series against the Miami Heat. He made a substantial impact in his return to the lineup in the NBA Finals, both as a rim protector and stretch five. He scored 20 points in the series opener with six rebounds and three blocks. He added 12 points, rebounds, and two blocks in Game 4 before suffering his injury after 23 minutes. Boston outscored the Mavericks by 25 points during his 44 minutes played but has been outscored by 31 points in 148 minutes without him.

Perhaps the most concerning of information came from Xavier Tillman Sr., the player filling in for Porzingis in the second unit while he's been sidelined. "We'll see," he said. "Obviously, like they said, it's a rare leg injury. So obviously he's going through excruciating pain where he can't be his best. It might not be worth it."

Tillman doesn't want his teammate to be out on the court if it's going to put him at risk. "When we go through our practices and stuff like that he's doing some stuff, but you can still tell that he's very uncomfortable," he said. "So, like I said, we don't want to put him in any type of situation that could really, really hurt him."

Tillman added that what Porzingis has been doing behind the scenes has been "pretty much the same."

Stick with MavericksGameday for more coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA Finals.

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