Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis left Monday night’s playoff game against the Miami Heat late in the first half due to what the team described as right calf tightness. The incident occurred with approximately 2:35 remaining in the second quarter when Porzingis attempted to move to his left but pulled up without any apparent contact. He immediately signaled to the Boston bench and was substituted out of the game eight seconds later, heading straight to the Celtics’ locker room while covering his face with his jersey.
Despite Porzingis’ absence, the Celtics went on to secure a 104-88 victory, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series against the Heat. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla praised his team’s resilience, stating, “I thought everybody just stepped it up.” However, Mazzulla did not provide any updates on Porzingis’ condition, although ESPN reported that the center would undergo imaging on Tuesday to assess the extent of the injury.
Prior to leaving the game, Porzingis appeared to have his feet tangled with Heat guard Tyler Herro and was also knocked to the floor on a play where Al Horford was called for an offensive foul. The incident that led to Porzingis’ exit occurred on Boston’s next offensive possession.
Horford started the second half in place of Porzingis, and Mazzulla emphasized that the team’s approach would remain unchanged regardless of who is available to play. Throughout the regular season, Porzingis missed several games due to various injuries, including left calf issues, right knee inflammation and contusions, right hamstring problems, a sprained left ankle, and back soreness.
Porzingis finished the first half with seven points and three rebounds in 13 1/2 minutes of play. During the regular season, he averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, appearing in 57 contests. In the first three games of the Heat-Celtics series, Porzingis averaged 14.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.