Kristaps Porzingis ready for NBA Final Game 4 as Boston Celtics aim to sweep Dallas Mavericks

Kristaps Porzingis will be in uniform and available in a limited role as the Boston Celtics attempt to accomplish a sweep of the NBA Finals in Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks. Porzingis missed the previous game due to an unusual tendon injury. He was categorized as doubtful for Friday night before doing an on-court exercise approximately 2 1/2 hours before tipoff.

When asked how Kristaps Porzingis could be not quite ready yet available, the coach basically gave the same explanation twice. According to AP News, “He’s not quite there, but we’re going to make him available,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said before the game. “But we’re only going to use him in very specific instances if necessary.”

The 7-foot-2 Latvian center's lower left leg's tendon tear prevented him from playing in Game 3. The calf injury he sustained on April 29 in the first round against Miami, which resulted in ten game absence, is unrelated to the tendon problem, according to the Celtics. In his first six playoff games, Porzingis averaged 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. Against Dallas in Game 1, he had 20 points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots.

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Game 3 was the most dramatic of the series, with Dallas Mavericks capitalizing on the Celtics' missing big man by battering the paint early and frequently. The Celtics rallied sufficiently to take a 21-point lead into the fourth quarter, but the Mavericks staged a furious rally that fell short of a victory.

Al Horford, the 38-year-old center looking for his first NBA title, has been the starting center since Porzingis was injured in the first round. He even began when Porzingis appeared in the first two games of the NBA Finals. Although backup big man Xavier Tillman Sr. performed well in Porzinigs absence, the Celtics lacked a regular-season starter.

Porzingis agreed to a $60 million, two-year agreement with Boston Celtics after being acquired in a trade with Washington last summer. That agreement becomes effective next season.