The Celtics will be at full strength—or close to it—as they take to the TD Garden parquet on Monday night, aiming to end their 16-year championship drought.
Kristaps Porzingis, initially listed as questionable for Game 5 due to a left posterior tibialis dislocation, has been upgraded to available for the potential closeout game.
Porzingis was listed as available for Game 4 as well, yet did not see any game action.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said pregame Monday that Porzingis is expected to play in Game 5, and without any minutes restriction. Mazzulla added that it's fair to say Porzingis is further along than he was before Game 4.
That is a change in tone from Friday, when Mazzulla said that Porzingis was "not quite there" and would only play in "very specific instances, if necessary."
The 28-year-old big man participated in Boston’s practice on Sunday afternoon, though he was only seen doing light shooting work. He did not speak with the media.
“Miss him a lot,” Jrue Holiday said on Sunday. “Top three-player on our team. Scoring, defense at the rim, blocking shots, comedic relief. So, it’s been great playing with him, and we wish that he was out here with us.”
It remains unclear if Porzingis can provide meaningful minutes. However, in the minutes he has been on the floor, the Mavericks had few answers for him. In Games 1 and 2, he averaged 16.0 points on 60% shooting, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks off the bench. The Celtics are a +25 when he is on the floor this series.
“When we got through our practices, he is doing some stuff but you can still tell that he is very uncomfortable,” Xavier Tillman said. “We don’t want to put him into any type of situation that can really, really hurt him.”
Like Game 4, Porzingis was on the floor roughly three hours before tip-off, going through an extended warmup with assistant coaches Tyler Lashbrook and DJ MacLeay. After the workout, he was declared available.
“He’s an unbelievable player. He’s somebody we care for deeply and gives us a great boost,” Payton Pritchard said on Porzingis on Sunday. “Him as a person, just being there is huge for us. We are lucky to have him.”
Tip-off for Game 5 is at 8:30 p.m. EST.
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