Despite his return, Kristaps Porzingis is still not ready to take the court.
The Boston Celtics announced Sunday afternoon that Porzingis will not play in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference finals series against the Indiana Pacers. Porzingis hasn’t played since their opening-round series against the Miami Heat, when he first went down with a calf injury.
Although he had already been ruled out for the first few games of the series against the Celtics, the team hoped Porzingis could make his return in Monday’s game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. He has “accelerated his progress on the field” in recent days to also make his return.
It is unclear if there is a setback in his recovery, or if Porzingis is simply not ready to play yet.
Porzingis averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds this season with the Celtics. He has also shot a career-high 51.6% from the field.
With Porzingis out on Monday night, his next opportunity is Wednesday night in Game 5 in Boston. However, the Celtics have a 3-0 lead in the series and could close it out on Monday. Not only would that send the Celtics to their second NBA Finals in the past three years, but it would give Porzingis even more time to recover.
This post will be updated soon with more information.
