The Celtics enter Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday holding a 2-0 series lead, but will be forced to face the Mavericks without one of the team’s most important players.
Kristaps Porzingis, who had only just returned from a month-long spell on the sidelines due to a calf strain, was ruled out by the Celtics shortly before tip-off for Game 3 after suffering a separate injury in Game 2.
Designated as a “left posterior tibialis dislocation,” the injury — suffered in Game 2’s third quarter during a collision with Mavericks center Dereck Lively II while trying to box out for a rebound — was deemed “serious” by Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla when he spoke to reporters on Tuesday.