Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis out for Game 3 of NBA Finals with ‘rare’ injury
Updated: 8:31 PM EDT Jun 12, 2024
The Boston Celtics announced that Kristaps Porzingis is out for Game 3 of the NBA Finals due to a “rare” injury he suffered in Game 2 of the series against the Dallas Mavericks.Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum, allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, the Celtics said Tuesday. It happened at 3:27 of the third quarter of Game 2, according to the team.The 7-foot-2 center is considered day-to-day for the rest of the series, and the Celtics announced shortly before 6:45 p.m. Wednesday that Porzingis would be out for Game 3 in Dallas.”The medical team at the staff just decided that it wasn’t what’s best for him, to go tonight,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Wednesday night before Game 3. “It’ll just be a day-to-day thing, see how he is tomorrow and the next day.”The Celtics had specified that the new injury is unrelated to his prior right calf injury, which kept him out of action from April 29 through the start of the NBA Finals.Dr. Miho Tanaka, an orthopedic surgeon at Mass General Brigham who specializes in sports medicine, said the injury Porzingis suffered is uncommon and could affect his lateral movement and ability to make explosive movements.”I explain it as maybe an extreme case of an ankle sprain. With the ankle, there are ligaments and tendons that prevent it from moving in directions that it’s not built to move,” Tanaka said. “The posterior tibialis tendon can actually move out of place and the retinaculum, which was injured, is the sheath that holds the tendon in its position where it goes under the bone. If the tendon is forcibly moved, it can actually stretch or tear the retinaculum.”Expectations were muted for Porzingis in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but he scored 11 points during a 23-5 Celtics run to close the first quarter. He finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes off the bench.In Game 2, Porzingis finished with 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks over 23 minutes.Related stories:
The Boston Celtics announced that Kristaps Porzingis is out for Game 3 of the NBA Finals due to a “rare” injury he suffered in Game 2 of the series against the Dallas Mavericks.
Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum, allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, the Celtics said Tuesday. It happened at 3:27 of the third quarter of Game 2, according to the team.
The 7-foot-2 center is considered day-to-day for the rest of the series, and the Celtics announced shortly before 6:45 p.m. Wednesday that Porzingis would be out for Game 3 in Dallas.
“The medical team at the staff just decided that it wasn’t what’s best for him, to go tonight,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Wednesday night before Game 3. “It’ll just be a day-to-day thing, see how he is tomorrow and the next day.”
The Celtics had specified that the new injury is unrelated to his prior right calf injury, which kept him out of action from April 29 through the start of the NBA Finals.
Dr. Miho Tanaka, an orthopedic surgeon at Mass General Brigham who specializes in sports medicine, said the injury Porzingis suffered is uncommon and could affect his lateral movement and ability to make explosive movements.
“I explain it as maybe an extreme case of an ankle sprain. With the ankle, there are ligaments and tendons that prevent it from moving in directions that it’s not built to move,” Tanaka said. “The posterior tibialis tendon can actually move out of place and the retinaculum, which was injured, is the sheath that holds the tendon in its position where it goes under the bone. If the tendon is forcibly moved, it can actually stretch or tear the retinaculum.”
Expectations were muted for Porzingis in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but he scored 11 points during a 23-5 Celtics run to close the first quarter. He finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes off the bench.
In Game 2, Porzingis finished with 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks over 23 minutes.