Kristaps Porzingis out for NBA Finals Game 3 in major Celtics blow

Kristaps Porzingis did not play in Game 3. 

The Celtics made the announcement hours before the NBA Finals’ Game 3 Wednesday night in Dallas.

It turned out the Celtics didn’t need Porzingis as they held off a Mavericks’ rally in the fourth quarter to secure a 106-99 win.

Boston will be looking for the sweep in Friday night’s Game 4 in Dallas.

Porzingis had been on the court for the team’s shootaround on Wednesday, according to multiple reports, but wasn’t able to give it a go. 

The team said Tuesday that he had been dealing with a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg that occurred at 3:27 of the third quarter in Game 2. 

The injury was said to be unrelated to a previous calf injury to his right leg that has kept him sidelined for most of the playoffs.

Porzingis didn’t appear too concerned about the issue after Game 2, and head coach Joe Mazzulla expressed the same attitude after that game. 

Nevertheless, things seemingly changed with the Celtics coach saying Tuesday that he had “no idea” if  Porzingis would play in Game 3. 

“He’s doing anything and everything he can to be ready for the game tomorrow,” Mazzulla said on Tuesday. “It’s a serious injury, and at the end of the day, the medical team is not going to put him in any bad situations. We’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands, because of the importance of him.

“So he’s going to do everything he can to play, and then we’re going to leave it up to our medical team.”

He had been coming off the bench in the first two games and put up 20 points in Game 1 and shot 8-of-13 from the field. 

Porzingis recorded 12 points in Game 2.