Injured Porzingis Set to Miss Start of Eastern Conference Finals; Boston Celtics Await His Return

Porzingis, the big man of the Boston Celtics, will miss at least the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals due to a calf strain. He was absent during the team’s second-round series against the Cavaliers as well. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Porzingis is expected to return at some point during the next series.

Porzingis has been out for nearly three weeks since Game 5 of the first-round series where the Celtics defeated the Heat. Calf strains can limit mobility and simple activities like running. Returning too quickly from such injuries can potentially lead to more serious issues, like Achilles problems. The Eastern Conference Finals are set to begin Tuesday night in Boston against the winner of Sunday’s Game 7 between the Knicks and Pacers.

Al Horford, who scored 22 points in the Cavaliers game, will continue to start for the Celtics until Porzingis is back in action. Porzingis played a key role in the Celtics winning a league-high 64 games this season. He averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 37.5% from 3-point range. His defensive contributions in the paint were crucial to the Celtics’ top-three ranking in defense. He appeared in 57 games this season as