BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 09: Kristaps Porzingis #8 of the Boston Celtics is defended by Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks during the fourth quarter in Game Two of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 09, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
The Boston Celtics will be without their top big man on Wednesday night.
As announced by the team, Kristaps Porziņģis (ankle/leg) is out for Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Porzingis was previously
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 11, 2024" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">listed as questionable with what is officially described as a left posterior tibialis dislocation.
Porzingis reportedly tore the medial retinaculum in his left leg, which caused the dislocated posterior tibialis. In short, it’s a rare and complicated injury in his leg/knee/ankle area.
“It’s a serious injury,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said Tuesday. “At the end of the day, our team and the medical team is not going to put [Porzingis] in any bad situations.”
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 09: Kristaps Porzingis #8 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Two of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 09, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Clearly, the Celtics feel Porzingis’ injury is serious enough that he can’t take the court as soon as Game 3. If anything, for fear of possibly causing an even more serious injury that could impact his availability for the start of next season.
The C’s will need to lean on veteran Al Horford in the frontcourt, and this ostensibly means more minutes are coming for Sam Hauser off the bench. They also have Luke Kornet available at center.
Celtics hold off Mavericks to take 2-0 lead in NBA Finals
The Boston Celtics held off a late rally by the Dallas Mavericks in the fourth quarter, to win Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Sunday night at TD Garden by a 105-98 final.
Boston led by as many as 14 points in the closing minutes, before Dallas made it a two-possession game with a late run. Celtics point guard Derrick White made a timely blocked shot to kill the run for good, and effectively put the game away.
Jrue Holiday led the Celtics in scoring with 26 points, shooting 11-for-14 from the field (78.6%). Jayson Tatum struggled again shooting the ball on offense (6-for-22, 27.3%), but finished with 12 assists and nine rebounds, just one board shy of a triple-double.
Celtics-Mavs Highlights, Game 2
The Mavericks handily out-shot the Celtics in the first quarter, but escaped with only a three-point lead at 28-25. Dallas shot 52.4% as a team, compared to 36.8% for Boston, including 1-for-9 from three-point range.
Jaylen Brown did, however, add another highlight-reel slam dunk to his finals resume.
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 10, 2024
The shots started to fall more in the second quarter, as the C’s shot 12-for-20 (60%) as a team. Point guard Jrue Holiday continued his hot shooting, ending up with 17 first-half points on 7-of-9 (77.8%) from the field.
That ball movement 😮💨👌 pic.twitter.com/LJtTmxYbzD
In the third quarter, the Celtics started to pull away. At one point, they went on a 25-11 run to go up by 13 points ad 80-67. Tatum scored eight points and continued his strong passing night to get up to 10 assists.
Plays like this are what makes Jrue great 👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/p2kwR7pQRB
Dallas ripped off a 7-0 run to cut the deficit back down to six with the final seconds ticking away in the third, but that’s when Celtics guard Payton Pritchard woke up the whole arena. Pritchard heaved it from nearly half-court and made the Hail Mary shot, putting the C’s back up by nine entering the fourth quarter at 83-74, and drawing the loudest pop of the series so far.
The Celtics pulled back away to lead by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter, after a White steal set up a Holiday three-pointer, then White drained a triple of his own to make it 103-89 Celtics.
However, the Mavericks wouldn’t go away quietly. They rattled off a 9-0 run to make it 103-98 C’s with just 1:15 left in regulation, then had the ball with a chance to cut further into the deficit.
But then, White delivered a clutch blocked shot and Holiday pulled down the rebound, and Brown took it the other way to lay it in and put the Celtics back up seven with 30 seconds left. That’s how the score would hold, as the Celtics take their 2-0 lead to Dallas.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Mavericks takes place Wednesday night at American Airlines Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.
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