Celtics

Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis is ‘available’ for Game 5, expected to play

"He’s available. Expecting to see him tonight."

By Conor Ryan

June 17, 2024

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For the second straight game, Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis has been deemed “available” to play in a potential clinching game for Boston.

But it remains to be seen just how much of a workload the 7-foot-2 center can handle on Monday night at TD Garden.

Speaking ahead of Boston’s latest matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, Joe Mazzulla acknowledged that Porzingis is expected to log at least some minutes on the parquet floor. 

“He’s available. Expecting to see him tonight,” Mazzulla said of Porzingis, adding that the talented center is not expected to be on a minutes restriction for Game 5. 

Porzingis has been hindered for a significant stretch of the NBA Finals after suffering a “rare” ankle injury during the third quarter of Game 2 on June 9. He was ruled out for Boston’s Game 3 victory at American Airlines Center on June 12, but was then deemed “available” under “specific instances” for Game 4. 

Be it Porzingis’ own limitations or the lopsided result doled out against Boston in Game 4, Porzingis did not play in that potential clincher despite getting cleared. That additional rest granted via a blowout loss seems to have done Porzingis some good in his road to recovery.  

Porzingis was spotted on the court a few hours ahead of Game 5 and didn’t seem to be limited in his warm-up routine. 

It’s been a frustrating postseason so far for Porzingis, who missed over a month of playoff action earlier this spring after suffering a calf sprain during Game 4 of Boston’s first-round matchup against the Heat.

This ankle injury stands as the latest setback for Porzingis, who gives Boston a major mismatch in the frontcourt thanks to his rim protection and versatile offensive skillset.

Speaking on Sunday, Celtics forward Xavier Tillman acknowledged that Porzingis is fighting through plenty of pain during his on-court reps. 

“It’s a rare leg injury, so if he’s in excruciating pain and can’t be himself it might not be worth it,” Tillman said of Porzingis, adding: “When we go through our practices, he’s doing some stuff but you can tell he’s very uncomfortable.”

Even though Mazzulla dismissed a minutes restriction for Porzingis, it does seem unlikely that Porzingis will suddenly be thrown into 30+ minutes given the state of his ankle. Porzingis came off the bench in Games 1 and 2 against Dallas, averaging 16 points per contest and shooting 60 percent from the field.