Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis will return for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, the forward confirmed Wednesday.
Porzingis, who hasn’t played since April 29 with a knee injury, told reporters he will play in Game 1 after missing 10 playoff games with the injury.
Porzingis suffered an unrelated calf injury in Game 4 of the first round against the Miami Heat. In that span, the Celtics closed out the Eastern Conference Finals by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 before defeating the Indiana Pacers 4-1.
Porzingis’ return has already been reported Athletic Shams Charania. Per Charania, Porzingis has successfully participated in several scrimmages in the past few days, indicating that he is healthy enough to return to the court.
Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis (calf) has completed several concussions in recent days and is expected to return to action Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Dallas, sources said. @Athletics @ Stadium. Porzingis has been sidelined since April 29. pic.twitter.com/3kdyvJQyqt
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 4, 2024
Porzingis teased his return on Tuesday when asked if he was at peak performance Jay King of Athletics. Porzingis said he wasn’t sure if he was 100 percent yet: “Good question. I don’t know. We’ll see.”
Kristaps Porzingi on whether he’s 100 percent: “Good question. I do not know. We will see,” he said.
He said he plans to play in Game 1. Every day gives him a little more time to get better and he’s working on that.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) June 4, 2024
Although he hoped to return last week, Porzingi was ultimately ruled out of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 27. Prior to that game, Porzingi was “accelerating his court preparation” to return. It is unclear what caused the delay in Porzingis’ return.
The 7-foot-2 forward, who averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds this season, missed 10 total games with the injury.
Although the Celtics have done well in the postseason without him, Porzingis will be an added boost when they face the Mavericks and continue their push for Boston’s first NBA title in 15 years.