Celtics

Kristaps Porzingis is ‘available’ in Game 4, but under ‘specific instances’

"We’re gonna make him available but we’re only gonna use him in very specific instances if necessary."

By Conor Ryan

June 14, 2024

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With a championship on the line, Kristaps Porzingis will return to the court for the Boston Celtics on Friday night. 

The Celtics and head coach Joe Mazzulla announced roughly 90 minutes ahead of tip-off for Game 4 of the NBA Finals that Porzingis will be available in Boston’s potential clinching game against the Mavericks at American Airlines Center.

But based on Mazzulla’s comments, don’t expect heavy minutes for the banged-up big man.

“He’s not quite there, but we’re gonna make him available but we’re only gonna use him in very specific instances if necessary,” Mazzulla said of Porzingis’s availability ahead of the game. 

Porzingis missed Game 3 of the NBA Finals due to a “rare” ankle injury, which he suffered during the third quarter of Sunday’s Game 2 victory over Dallas.

Boston’s fruitful playoff run has been frustrating for Porzingis, who missed over a month of action earlier this postseason after suffering a calf strain during Game 4 of Boston’s opening-round series against the Miami Heat. 

The 7-foot-2 center, who was listed as “questionable” by the Celtics ahead of Game 4, was spotted on the court putting up shots without any serious limitations roughly three hours ahead of game action. 

“We are going to see how it looks today,” Mazzulla said Friday morning. “Just test it out before the game, see how he feels and then the medical team will make a decision.”

Boston is 11-1 during this postseason run without Porzingis in the lineup. But the Celtics are still at their best if Porzingis is able to log minutes on the court, with his rim protection and versatile offensive skillset turning him into a matchup nightmare on an already stacked Boston roster.

“He’s fighting like hell to play,” Mazzulla said of Porzingis on Thursday. “But it’s going to be up to us to do what’s in the best interest for him as a player and a person. None of that has anything to do with where we are from a basketball standpoint.”

Even if Porzingis is limited in terms of how much he can give on the court Friday, his presence alone should provide a lift to a Celtics team on the brink of a title.