The Boston Celtics have a chance to win their 18th championship in Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Friday night in Dallas, and one of the biggest question marks entering this matchup is the status of center Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis suffered a rare left leg injury in the third quarter of Game 2 against the Mavericks last Sunday. He missed Game 3, but his status for Game 4 remains uncertain.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters Friday that Porzingis will test his leg prior to the game and then the team will decide whether he plays.
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“Yesterday was just a walkthrough. He looked good," Mazzulla said. "We’ll see how he looks today. (He’ll) test it out before the game to see how (it) feels. And then the medical team will make a decision.”
UPDATE (7:15 p.m. ET): Porzingis is available to play in Friday's Game 4 but only will be used on an "as necessary" basis, Mazzulla said in his pregame press conference.
The Celtics are 10-1 without Porzingis in the lineup during the playoffs. That said, they are without a doubt a better team when he's available, and Games 1 and 2 of the series served as compelling evidence. The Celtics outscored the Mavs by 25 points in the 44 minutes Porzingis played in the first two games back in Boston.
Mazzulla largely relied on Al Horford and Xavier Tillman Sr. to play center in Game 3 when Porzingis was unavailable. If Porzingis doesn't play in Game 4, we should expect Horford and Tillman to play a key role once again.
