The Boston Celtics are without big man Kristaps Porzingis for Game 5 of their first-round series as they try to close out the Miami Heat on Wednesday. And it might be a while before Porzingis returns to the court. During Boston's win in Game 4 on Monday, Porzingis exited late in the second quarter with what the team called right calf tightness. He was scheduled to undergo imaging on Tuesday, and reports indicate Porzingis won't be back for a few weeks.
With this official diagnosis, the good news is it sounds like Porzingis avoided an Achilles injury, which was the primary concern when he originally exited the game. However, Porzingis could miss more time, as ESPN is reporting that he could be out for several games past Wednesday's potential series clincher for the Celtics. TNT's Chris Haynes added that Porzingis is likely to miss the Celtics' second-round series, assuming they advance.
The injury occurred in the second quarter when Porzingis appeared to roll his opposite ankle a few possessions, and was noticeably limping before pulling up with the calf injury.
Kristaps Porzingis actually rolled his ankle and was already limping a couple possessions before his non-contact injury. Here's the sequence: pic.twitter.com/hP6SBlzKok
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) April 30, 2024
In the moment, it didn't look great. It was non-contact, and Porzingis had his head buried in his jersey as he limped to the locker room. Following the win, he left the arena is a walking boot.
Kristaps Porzingis heading out of the Kaseya Center with a walking boot on his right foot pic.twitter.com/lUCwjVOE3A
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) April 30, 2024
At this point it's a big-picture situation for Boston, which, barring a catastrophic collapse, has this Miami series in hand and can begin prioritizing Porzingis' long-term postseason outlook. While Porzingis has experienced rather healthy seasons the last two years, his lengthy injury history does mean that the Celtics will likely exercise some caution going forward.
Even without Porzingis, the Celtics will be favored in a potential second-round matchup against either the Cavaliers or Magic. The Eastern Conference Finals would start between May 19-22.
