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As the Boston Celtics eye a clean sweep to win their 18th NBA championship, Kristaps Porzingis' status for Friday's Game 4 of the 2024 finals is revealed ahead of the matchup. The star center returned after a 10-game postseason injury layoff, but his comeback was shortlived. Porzingis injured himself again in Game 2 of the finals and missed Wednesday's Game 3.
Kristaps Porzingis injury update: Latest on Celtics center's status vs Mavericks for Game 4
Porzingis is available to play on Friday. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Celtics center will play despite previous reports that Porzingis could miss the rest of the finals because of his unusual leg injury. The Celtics big man was in action during warm-ups on Thursday. He did some light training, with standstill shooting drills and post-up work.
Porzingis didn't wear a sleeve on his injured left leg, so that seemed like a positive sign ahead.
What happened to Kristaps Porzingis?
Porzingis is on the Celtics' injury report citing a left posterior tibialis dislocation. He sustained the blow with 3:30 left in the third quarter of Sunday's Game 2 in Boston. Porzingis endured the injury after he attempted a defensive rebound.
Coach Joe Mazzulla said it was a "serious" injury. However, Porzingis seems adamant about playing in what could be the C's championship night in Dallas. Despite the rarity and uncertainty over the depth of the injury, he's reportedly moved well in practice and could try to play after undergoing extensive workouts on Friday.
The Celtics remain in charge of Porzingis' availability for this contest as there are fears of him re-injuring the new left ankle issue and the existing right calf ailment.
Celtics survive Game 3 in Kristaps Porzingis' absence
Kristaps Porzingis' impact in Games 1 and 2 seemed immeasurable. His three-level scoring and rim protection elevated the Celtics. After he went down with a complicated injury, there were questions about Boston's chances of facing stiff competition from their counterparts in Games 3 and 4 on the road.
Game 3 was an up-and-down contest for Boston, who trailed by one at halftime, but a third-quarter run helped it grab a 21-point lead with 11 minutes left in the fourth. However, the Celtics succumbed to a 21-2 run after that stretch, allowing the Mavs to trim the deficit to three points.
They were aided by Luka Doncic fouling out shortly after that dominant stretch from the Mavericks. The Celtics still seemed iffy to hold off Dallas, owing to their past issues in the clutch, especially in Porzingis' absence.
However, it didn't matter much in Wednesday's 106-99 win as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown executed plays as planned down the stretch to give the team an unassailable 3-0 lead.
