Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (No. 0) celebrates Kristaps Porzingis' goal in overtime. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
The Celtics are looking to beat the Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, with Kristaps Porzingis set to play on Monday night.
And this isn't “available” like it was last Friday, when Porzingis suited up but did not play in Dallas' sweep of Boston in Game 4.
“He's available,” coach Joe Mazzulla said during his press conference before Game 5 at TD Garden. “You'll see him tonight.”
Porzingis missed Boston's final two games with a torn medial retinaculum that caused a dislocated posterior tibial tendon in what the team is calling an “unusual” foot injury. Teammate Xavier Tillman provided a disappointing update on the injured big man on Sunday, saying Porzingis looked “very uncomfortable” during practice.
But Porzingis appeared to be moving well during an intensive 20-plus minutes of training before Monday's game. When asked if Porzingis had improved since Game 4, when Mazzulla said he was “not ready to come back,” he simply said, “Yes.”
Mazzulla also said Monday night that Porzingis is not on a minutes restriction, but he said the same about the 7-foot-2 center returning from a calf injury that forced him to miss 10 games early in the playoffs this season, and Porzingis later acknowledged that wasn't true.
The Mavericks have struggled to match up to Porzingis in these Finals, but he made an impact off the bench in Games 1 and 2, totaling 32 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in 44 minutes as Boston won both games.
“We expected him to come back at some point and he's available tonight,” Dallas head coach Jason Kidd said. “What's going to change? Just his scoring in Games 1 and 2. We've got to get better. We've got to put the ball in places on the court where he can't catch it and shoot. And then defensively, we've got to be mindful of his shot blocking. We've got to take into account that when he gets in the paint, he's a guy that can block shots. We've got to get better in that regard. We weren't very good in Games 1 and 2.
Kidd said the Mavs plan to test Porzingis' health and athleticism before returning to Dallas for Game 6.
“We'll see how he moves,” he said, “but we'll continue to check in and see how he moves, healthy or not, so nothing changes in that respect.”
