Porzingis will likely miss Game 5.
The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks will play Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Sunday at TD Garden in Boston.
The Celtics took the first three games of the series and were one win away from the championship. However, a blowout loss in Game 4 forced them to return home and try to clinch the title again.
The series is still in Boston’s favor. However, with a sweep in Game 4, it’s not out of the question that a Game 5 loss could change things. The best-case scenario for Boston 스포츠토토 is to close out the series while they still can.
But there is some bad news. Starting center Kristaps Porzingis is dealing with a lower-body injury. After suffering a dislocated tendon in the posterior tibialis muscle in his left leg in Game 2, Porzingis missed Games 3 and 4. He is also questionable for Game 5.
Ahead of Game 5, teammate Xavier Tillman spoke about Porzingis’ condition after practice. Still, it appears that Porzingis is having a tough time dealing with the aftermath of the injury.
“It’s obviously a rare leg injury,” Tillman said. If Kristaps Porzingis is in extreme pain and can’t give his best on the court, there may be no reason for him to play. He’s going through some movements in training, but you can tell he’s very uncomfortable. We don’t want to put him in a situation where he could suffer a major injury.”
Porzingis, who missed a significant portion of the playoffs due to injury, returned for Game 1 of the Finals and was at his best. If he can play at full strength, Boston will get a huge boost from his imposing height. It would also make it easier to attack the inside, which is Dallas‘ weakness.
Porzingis is currently listed as “questionable,” which means he has a 50 percent chance of playing. His health issues have plagued him throughout his career, so his availability will be a big factor in the Finals.