Kristaps Porzingis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kristaps Porzingis Listed As Questionable For Game 5

June 16th, 2024 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kristaps Porzingis is listed as questionable to play in Game 5 of the Finals on Monday, Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets.

Porzingis hasn’t played since Game 2 of the Finals. He’s dealing with a torn medial retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg. The injury is unrelated to the calf strain that kept him out of action for over a month during the postseason.

Porzingis made a sparkling return in Game 1, contributing 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes. He made more solid contributions in Game 2, supplying 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes.

After being ruled out for Game 3, he was technically available for Game 4. But with the Celtics leading the series 3-0, coach Joe Mazzulla chose not to use his starting center in what turned out to be a blowout loss.

With the series shifting back to Boston, Porzingis’ status remains up in the air. More clarity could come during the morning shootaround and in Mazzulla’s pregame press conference.

On Sunday, Mazzulla said of Porzingis, “He’s trying and doing everything he can to try to put himself in position to be out there. I know that for sure,” according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Holiday, Porzingis, Horford

June 15th, 2024 at 5:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joe Mazzulla‘s pregame warning was prophetic and now it appears the NBA Finals could become a competitive series, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. With a chance to sweep and claim their 18th championship Friday night, the Celtics only managed to keep things close for a few minutes before being mauled by Dallas.

“The closer you are to beating someone, the closer you are to getting your ass kicked,” Mazzulla said in a session with reporters before the start of Game 4. “Tonight I expect the best out of Dallas, and we got to get ready for a fight.”

The fight was never close, as the Mavericks took control of the game midway through the first quarter and didn’t let up on their way to a 38-point victory. Dallas used a much more physical approach on defense, Weiss observes, finding success by challenging Boston’s ball-handlers and funneling them into Dereck Lively II. Offensively, the Mavs rediscovered the spacing that got them past their Western Conference opponents, effectively creating corner threes for the first time in the series.

“I think winning at any game is hard. But winning Game 4 of the NBA Finals is pretty damn hard,” Jrue Holiday said. “I think they came out desperate and I think they punched us in the mouth, and we couldn’t kind of recover the way we wanted to.”

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Kristaps Porzingis was upgraded to available for Game 4, but he never left the bench and it’s not clear if Mazzulla would have used him even if the game had been close, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis sat out Wednesday night after suffering a posterior tibialis dislocation in his left leg late in Game 2, and Mazzulla said Friday that he would “only be used in specific instances, if necessary.” Terada notes that Porzingis didn’t take part in the pregame layup lines and remained in the locker room for about half of the third quarter. Terada describes the situation as “murky” heading into Monday’s Game 5.
Veteran center Al Horford had a unique perspective on Friday’s loss, pointing out that it’s the first time the Celtics have really been challenged in the series, Terada adds in a separate story. “I’ve been in a lot of these, and usually by the second game, you’re making adjustments,” Horford said. “Third game, you’re making another adjustment, and that’s kind of how it is. And for us, we’ve had the first three games, we didn’t really make any adjustments. So today, they did something. We have to see how we can be better and prepare for it. That’s kind of where we’re at right now.”
Eli Cloutier of The Boston Globe puts Game 4 into historical perspective, noting that it’s the third-largest margin of victory in the NBA Finals.

Kristaps Porzingis Available For Game 4

June 14th, 2024 at 6:38pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla announced that starting center Kristaps Porzingis‘ status upgraded to available for Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Porzingis’ old club, the Mavericks, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). The action is set to tip off on Friday night.

Mazzulla cautioned that Porzingis would “only be used in specific instances, if necessary.”

Boston has survived just fine without its starting center for much of the playoffs, though when he can play he has shown off an incredible two-way ability to both protect the rim and knock down jumpers.

Porzingis has only been healthy for five contests in this postseason run, but the Celtics have gone 11-1 in the games he’s missed, with sixth man Al Horford picking up the slack in his absence. Horford has started in all three Finals games, even when Porzingis was deemed healthy to play during the first two contests.

The 7’2″ big man was ruled out for Game 3 of the series due to a posterior tibialis dislocation in his left leg. Boston won anyway, 106-99, building out an intimidating 3-0 advantage. Never in league history has any team, in any round, climbed out of that kind of hole.

During the playoffs, Porzingis has averaged 13.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.3 APG and 0.8 SPG in 24.8 MPG.

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Mazzulla, Porzingis, Stevens

June 13th, 2024 at 5:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Celtics All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum told reporters that Boston, now leading the Mavericks 3-0 in the Finals, is hardly satisfied after the team nearly surrendered a 21-point second half lead in Game 3 on Wednesday night, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

As Tatum notes, Boston itself fell into an 0-3 hole against the Heat during the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, and ultimately pushed Miami to seven games. Tatum sprained his ankle during the first quarter of that Game 7. The Heat eventually won and advanced to the Finals.

“We really felt like we were going to come back,” Tatum said. “We almost did. You know, we were a sprained ankle away from having like a real shot. So, you know, we are not relaxing or anything like that.”

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Second-year Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla‘s unique approach to the game has the club on the verge of capturing its record-setting 18th championship, notes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “Anytime you’re developing a new philosophy or a new style, it just takes time for understanding and execution,” Mazzulla said. Per Weiss, Mazzulla’s philosophy is all about preparation, as well as read-and-react basketball in a variety of situations. As Steve Buckley of The Athletic adds, Mazzulla rose quickly in the ranks from a second-row assistant coach under former head coach Ime Udoka to his current position. Mazzulla takes an unorthodox approach to his film sessions with his team, going so far as to use UFC clips to motivate players.
Some of Celtics coach-turned-team president Brad Stevens‘ less heralded team-building transactions have helped pay dividends for Boston as the Finals have worn on, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.com. With starting center Kristaps Porzingis out in Game 3, Mazzulla opted to use deep-bench reserve big Xavier Tillman behind newly elevated starter Al Horford. Tillman delivered, notching one critical three-pointer, four rebounds and two blocks. Robb also lauds Stevens for his decision to keep the faith in Jaylen Brown, who was frequently mentioned as a possible trade candidate for a more established star earlier in his career.
Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t able to play in Game 3, but there’s a chance he’ll be available in Game 4, Shams Charania of The Athletic said on FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link). Mazzulla stressed that Boston’s commanding 3-0 lead won’t impact whether or not Porzingis will try to play on Friday, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link). Porzingis is dealing with a posterior tibialis dislocation in his left leg, suffered during Game 2. The 7’2″ center did get an opportunity to put some shots up during practice on Thursday while wearing a brace on his left ankle, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter links).

Kristaps Porzingis Unavailable For Game 3

June 12th, 2024 at 7:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:55pm: Appearing on NBA Countdown, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said there is “real doubt” about Porzingis’ availability for the rest of the NBA Finals (video link).

5:45pm: Kristaps Porzingis will miss tonight’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals due to a posterior tibialis dislocation in his left leg, the Celtics announced (via Twitter).

The injury occurred late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game as Porzingis battled for rebounding position on a free throw. The team called his condition “rare” and said it’s not related to a right calf strain that kept him out of action for more than a month.

Porzingis has been a difference maker in the first two games of the series, coming off the bench to average 16 points and five rebounds in 21.9 minutes per night. Boston has a +27.7 net rating when he has been on the court vs. Dallas.

Porzingis brushed aside concerns about the injury Sunday night and indicated that he expected to be ready for the next game. However, the decision was ultimately made by the Celtics’ medical staff, who don’t believe it’s wise to let him play. It may be significant that the decision was announced nearly two hours before game time, rather than letting Porzingis participate in warm-ups to see how he responds.

In his pre-game meeting with reporters, coach Joe Mazzulla said the medical team watched Porzingis go through some tests and determined he wasn’t ready, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Mazzulla added that Porzingis will be considered day-to-day for Friday’s Game 4 and beyond, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs. com (Twitter link).

With two days of rest since Game 2, starting center Al Horford might log more minutes than usual tonight. Horford played 30 and 28 minutes in the first two games against the Mavericks, but he was on the court for 40 minutes during the last game of the Eastern Conference finals against Indiana while Porzingis was sidelined.

Mazzulla may also opt to give more playing time to backup big men Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta. Kornet saw about three minutes of action in Game 1, while Queta hasn’t played yet in the series.

Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Holiday, Davison, Peterson, White

June 11th, 2024 at 7:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kristaps Porzingis‘ unusual leg injury is something the Celtics big man can play through but he’ll eventually need surgery, a medical expert told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Porzingis is listed as questionable to play in Game 3 of the Finals due to a “torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg.”

Dr. Daniel Kharrazi, an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai in Boston and former Lakers consultant, told Washburn he’s only seen a injury like Porzingis’ once in 25 years.

“A lot of times the ankle and the tendon can be taped to allow play,” Khazzari said. “There are even some braces that they can use that helps protect the tendon. I don’t think it’s something that he’s gonna make worse by just playing, especially if he’s just running up and down the court and even some lateral movements may be OK. This can be a repetitive issue if he has awkward landings or with his foot in certain positions that causes subluxation of the tendon. I don’t think it’s a season-ending injury.”

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The addition of Jrue Holiday has Boston two wins away from a championship. Holiday has provided stability to the starting unit and he can put up big numbers when needed, as his 26-point, 11-rebound effort in Game 2 exhibits, Kyle Hightower of the Associated Press writes. “It’s been great and the journey’s been awesome, but at the end of the day, the job is not done,” he said.
Two-way contract players JD Davison and Drew Peterson have been in the stands during the Finals because they’re ineligible to suit up and there’s no room on the Celtics’ bench. They’re cheering the home team and jeering the opponent just as much as the fans, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. “It’s definitely like being a fan and being on the team at the same time,” Davison said. “When everybody’s standing up and cheering, I’m one of the ones standing and cheering with them. We just wanted to be a part of everything and support the guys, honestly, so we’ll take whatever seats we can get.”
Derrick White was traded from the Spurs to the Celtics during the 2021/22 season but he still hears Gregg Popovich’s voice when he’s playing, he told Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News. “The simple play always is the right play. That’s something I took from (Popovich), and it’s been great for my career,” White said.

Celtics’ Porzingis Diagnosed With New Leg Injury, Listed As Questionable

June 11th, 2024 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

4:56pm: Porzingis has been listed as questionable to play in Game 3, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets.

1:43pm: In his second game back from a right calf strain that sidelined him for approximately five weeks, Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis suffered a new injury, the team announced on Tuesday in a press release.

According to the Celtics, Porzingis has suffered a “torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg.” The injury, which the team describes as “rare” and unrelated to the calf strain, occurred with 3:27 left in the third quarter on Sunday as Porzingis jockeyed for rebounding position on a free-throw attempt (video link).

The Celtics went on to say in their statement that – following consultation with multiple specialists – Porzingis’ availability for upcoming NBA Finals games will be determined on a day-to-day basis. Speaking today to reporters, head coach Joe Mazzulla addressed his center’s status, as Brian Robb of MassLive.com relays.

“He’s doing anything and everything he can to be ready for the game tomorrow,” Mazzulla said. “It’s a serious injury and at the end of the day, our medical team is not going to put him in any bad situations. We’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands. He’s going to do everything he can to play and we’re going to leave it up to our medical team.”

Mazzulla added that he has “no idea” if the big man will be available on Wednesday (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic).

Boston has controlled the NBA Finals through two games at home, but if Porzingis is unable to suit up, it could have a significant impact on the series going forward. In their two wins over the Mavericks, the Celtics have posted a +27.7 net rating in Porzingis’ 44 minutes on the court while playing Dallas exactly even (0.0 net rating) during his 52 minutes on the bench.

Reserve centers Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman would be candidates to see some playing time off the bench is Porzingis is ruled out for Game 3.

Celtics Notes: Best Player Debate, Holiday, Porzingis, MVP Candidates

June 10th, 2024 at 7:58am CST by Arthur Hill

It seems the Celtics don’t really care who their best player is. After Mavericks coach Jason Kidd tried a bit of psychological warfare over the weekend by suggesting that it’s Jaylen Brown rather than Jayson Tatum, Boston responded with a stellar team effort Sunday night to claim a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

Brown contributed 21 points, four rebounds and seven assists, while Tatum suffered through another poor shooting night at 6-of 22 from the field but barely missed a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists. Jrue Holiday led the team in scoring with 26 points while grabbing 11 rebounds, and Derrick White chipped in 18 points and five boards.

“I’m really tired of hearing about one guy or this guy or that guy and everybody trying to make it out to be anything other than Celtic basketball,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Everybody that stepped on that court today made winning plays on both ends of the floor. (That) is the most important thing.”

Though Tatum typically carries the scoring load, Weiss notes that Mazzulla’s strategy for Game 2 was to have him draw double teams in the post and find teammates cutting to the basket. Dallas tried to clog the middle and shut off passes to three-point shooters, but that often left Holiday with a clear path to the rim. Holiday weighed in on the controversy that Kidd tried to create, saying he enjoys playing alongside Tatum and Brown.

“So just to address the comment yesterday, I do not prefer one or the other. I prefer both,” Holiday said. “Both of them are superstars, and it’s being shown out here on the biggest stage in the world.”

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Holiday deserves consideration in any debate about the Celtics’ best player, observes Matt Finn of The Boston Globe. In addition to his scoring and rebounding, the veteran guard played his usual relentless defense on Sunday, limiting Kyrie Irving to a 7-of-18 night from the field and making Luka Doncic earn all 32 of his points. Holiday also brings a championship pedigree to Boston’s backcourt after winning a title with Milwaukee in 2021. “He has that experience, that just championship DNA, which you hear all about all the time,” White said. “You don’t really know what it takes until you do what it takes. Just the moment he came to our team in training camp, he kind of just had that presence about him. He just knows how to win.”
Kristaps Porzingis isn’t concerned about his right leg after tweaking it late in Sunday’s game, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis returned for the Finals after missing more than a month with a right calf strain, and he doesn’t believe the latest incident will prevent him from playing. “Obviously something happened a little bit,” Porzingis said. “But I have a couple days again (before Wednesday’s Game 3). Believe me, we will do everything we can to be back and moving well. … I’ll die out there if we need. Just kept going. Obviously I was a little limited, so smart thing was to get Al (Horford) back in there and close out the game.”
Tatum may be the favorite for Finals MVP honors even though he’s only shooting 12-of-38 in the series, according to Matt Vatour of MassLive, who ranks the top candidates through two games.

Celtics Notes: Pozingis, Brown, Tatum, Rebounding

June 9th, 2024 at 9:39am CST by Rory Maher

In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews (YouTube link), Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis said he’ll come off the bench once again in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, which tips off at 7:00 pm CT on Sunday night. The Latvian big man previously said he’s on a minutes restriction, though he didn’t offer any specifics on that restriction.

While rehabbing his left calf strain, Porzingis admitted he had doubts about whether he would recover in time to return for the playoffs at all.

“Yes,” Porzingis told Andrews. “… Because it was getting longer than expected and you’re like, ‘Am I going to be good? Am I going to be in shape for the Finals?’ It’s tough. I’m not going to lie, it’s tough, just to prepare for that mentally.”

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Porzingis praised the crowd’s impact in Game 1, as Souichi Terada of MassLive relays. “That was insane, I’m not gonna lie,” Porzingis said. “Just walking in the tunnel, it was kind of a WWE style walk-in. I didn’t even know it was for me at first. Then just walking out, just hearing the crowd roar. I was getting real excitement to start the game and give everything to these fans that came to support.”
Speaking to reporters during a media session on Saturday, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd referred to Jaylen Brown as the Celtics‘ “best player” when asked about the challenges of facing the Boston wing. For his part, Brown said he was unfazed by Kidd’s apparent attempt at gamesmanship. “I don’t have no reaction,” Brown said, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Jayson Tatum, who is generally regarded as Boston’s top player, was similarly nonplussed, according to Bontemps. “This is a team sport,” Tatum said. “We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have JB on our team, and we can say that for a lot of guys, right. We have all played a part in getting to where we’re at, and we understand that people try to drive a wedge between us. I guess it’s a smart thing to do or try to do. We’ve been in this position for many years of guys trying to divide us and say that one of us should be traded or one is better than the other. So it’s not our first time at the rodeo.”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explains why Boston’s edge in rebounding is an “underrated key” to the series with Dallas.

NBA Finals Notes: Brown, Porzingis, Mavs’ Centers, Luka, Kyrie

June 8th, 2024 at 12:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters during a media session on Saturday, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd referred to Jaylen Brown as the Celtics‘ “best player” when asked about the challenges of facing the Boston wing (Twitter video link).

“Well, Jaylen’s their best player,” Kidd said. “So just looking at what he does defensively, he picked up Luka (Doncic) full court, he got to the free throw line, he did everything. That’s what your best player does.”

You could certainly make a case that Brown has been the Celtics’ best player in this postseason — his 24.8 points per game during the playoffs rank slightly behind Jayson Tatum‘s 25.3 PPG, but he has got his points far more efficiently, shooting 54.3% from the floor and 36.6% on three-pointers, compared to 43.8% and 29.9% for Tatum.

Still, the general consensus is that Tatum – who has also averaged a team-high 10.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in the postseason – is Boston’s best player, so Kidd’s comments raised some eyebrows. While they may reflect his honest opinion, it’s hard not to read Kidd’s praise of Brown as an attempt at gamesmanship, given that the relationship between the two Celtics stars has been a popular topic of speculation among outsiders over the years.

Here’s more on the NBA Finals, with Game 2 on tap for Sunday:

Given how well the Celtics played in Game 1 with Kristaps Porzingis coming off the bench, head coach Joe Mazzulla will face an interesting decision on whether to return the big man to his spot in the starting lineup on Sunday, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.com. As Robb notes, Boston played its best basketball with Porzingis on the court and could still manage his minutes over the course of the night if he starts. However, the team has gone 10-1 with Al Horford as its starting center during the playoffs and is riding an eight-game winning streak, so Mazzulla may not want to mess with what’s working.
Despite Mazzulla saying prior to Game 1 that Porzingis had no minutes limit, the big man told reporters on Saturday that he is in fact facing a minutes restriction (Twitter link via Souichi Terada of MassLive.com). Porzingis, who logged 21 minutes in Game 1, didn’t offer any specifics on that restriction.
Porzingis’ presence represents a major problem for the Mavericks, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who says the Celtics’ floor-spacing centers essentially neutralized the impact of Dallas big men Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively, who had to chase Porzingis and Horford out to the perimeter rather than hanging back and protecting the rim. As Townsend points out, Gafford and Lively combined for just 10 points, eight rebounds, and no blocks on Thursday, while Porzingis and Horford totaled 30 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks.
Doncic and Kyrie Irving were unable to beat their defenders one-on-one in Game 1, which would’ve forced the Celtics to send help and created open shots for teammates, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. As a result, the two stars combined for just three assists, while the team as a whole had only nine. If that doesn’t change going forward and Doncic and Irving can’t do more in those one-on-one situations, it will likely be a quick series, Hollinger opines.