The Boston Celtics will likely be without star big man Kristaps Porzingis when the NBA Eastern Conference Finals begin on Tuesday.
Porzingis is expected to miss Games 1 and 2 of the series due to the right calf strain he suffered in the first round of the playoffs, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. While that's an unfortunate update for the C's, Wojnarowski adds "there's optimism he'll be able to return sometime in the series -- barring any setbacks."
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The Celtics played without Porzingis for all five games of their second-round series vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston's prized offseason addition has spent the last couple of weeks ramping up his on-court activity and has made significant strides in his recovery.
With Porzingis still sidelined, the C's will again lean on 37-year-old Al Horford to step up as their starting center. Horford rose to the occasion in the series-clincher vs. Cleveland, dropping 22 points while shooting 6-of-13 from 3-point range and tallying 15 rebounds.
Boston will meet the winner of the New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers series in the Eastern Conference Finals. New York has a 3-2 lead entering Friday's Game 6.
You can view the full 2024 Eastern Conference Finals schedule here.
