The Celtics will remain without Kristaps Porzingis for the third straight game on Thursday night. Boston ruled out their starting big man due to a strained right soleus. Porzingis hurt his right calf in Game 4 of the Heat series last week and is availability for the series against the Cavs remains uncertain.
Porzingis is the only player listed on the injury report for Boston for the second straight game as they face off with a shorthanded Cavs squad. Jarrett Allen is also questionable with bruised ribs and the starting center has missed four straight games with that injury. Reserve forward Dean Wade is also out with a strained knee but he’s inching closer towards a return according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“It’s definitely better than we thought,” Mazzulla told Zolak and Bertrand on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Tuesday. “I think one thing about KP is, I don’t know what his timetable is but I know his mentality, and he really pushes himself to get back as quickly as he can.
“He does a great job working to take care of himself. He’s walking a little bit better, and every day he’s in there doing whatever it takes to try to get back as fast as he can. I appreciate that.”
The good news for the Celtics is that they should feel no motivation to rush Porzingis back to the floor after winning their last two games handily without him. Luke Kornet provided a massive spark off the bench for Boston as a backup center in a Game 1 rout against the Cavs, posting a career postseason high 10 rebounds in the victory.
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