BOSTON (AP) — It remains to be determined whether injured Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will be ready in time for the start of the NBA Finals this week.
But signs point to him being back on the court sooner than expected during Boston’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
The 2.13 meter tall has not played since injuring his left calf in Boston’s fourth game of their first-round playoff series against Miami on April 29.
However, 4-1 victories over the Heat and Cleveland in the next round, followed by a sweep of Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals, have given the Latvian extensive recovery time.
Celtics coach Joe Mazulla has refrained from making predictions about when he expects Porzingis to return. But he made it clear that his team is better with Porzingis in the lineup, despite going 9-1 without him this postseason.
“When KP is at his best he has been tremendous for us and that is what we expect from him, and we know how he will give us that,” Mazulla said.
Porzingis last spoke publicly on May 4, stating that the injury “is something and it’s nothing,” adding that it will take “a little bit of time” to recover.
His official status since then has been day by day since he slowly began to recover for the opportunity to face the Mavericks, a team for which he played between 2019-2022.
Porzingis appeared on social media this week to provide his most significant trailer by posting on Platform X, “I will be back in the lineup very soon. See you in the finals.”
Two days later, when the doors were open to the media on Friday after practice, Porzingis was one of the few players remaining on the court, performing extensive 3-point routines alongside assistant coaches and trainers. He used a compression sleeve on his injured leg.
Then on Saturday he participated in a light 5-on-5 duel with his teammates – his longest training session since suffering his injury.
Mazulla said Porzingis “did everything the team did” during Saturday’s practice and was expected to participate in a more intense session on Sunday.
When healthy, Porzingis has contributed on both ends of the court, averaging 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks during the regular season in 57 games. Before getting injured in the series against Miami, he averaged 14 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks.
Source: AP
2024-06-03 06:56:07
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