The Boston Celtics confirmed that Kristaps Porzingis will miss Game 3 of the NBA Finals because of a posterior tibialis dislocation in his left leg (via X).
The injury happened while Porzingis was fighting for rebounding position during a free throw late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game. The team described his ailment as “rare” and stated that it has nothing to do with the right calf injury that sidelined him for over a month.
In the first two games of the series, Porzingis has been a game changer, averaging 16 points and five rebounds in 21.9 minutes a night off the bench. When he is playing, Boston’s net rating over Dallas is +27.7.
On Sunday night, Porzingis dismissed worries about the injury and said he would be ready for the following game. The medical team of the Celtics, however, eventually made the call because they don’t think it’s a good idea to let him play. The fact that the decision was made about two hours before kickoff instead of allowing Porzingis to play in warm-ups to gauge his reaction might be important.
After two days off following the Games, center Al Horford may play longer tonight. Horford was on the court for forty minutes during the final game of the Eastern Conference finals against Indiana while Porzingis was injured. Horford played thirty and twenty-eight minutes in the first two games against the Mavericks.
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