NBA
Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks injury updates ahead of Game 2
Dallas Mavericks will be anxious to get back on track after a humbling Game 1 defeat at the TD Garden last Thursday.
The Boston Celtics are looking to claim their first NBA Championship since 2008 and should they overcome the Dallas Mavericks in the best of seven series, they would edge past arch rivals LA Lakers with 18 NBA titles to the 17 secured by the team from the City of Angels.
Any fears that Celtics fans may have held that the ‘ghosts of the 2022 defeat at the hands of the Warriors’ were quickly dispelled on Thursday night as a packed TD Garden watched the home side dismantle Dallas Mavericks with little trouble as part of a 89-107 Game 1 win.
Porzingis performs on return
The first game of the 2024 Finals marked the return of Latvian Kristaps Porzingis who has been sidelined since late April. The 28-year-old made an emphatic return making an immediate impact off the bench bagging 20 points for Boston on his comeback.
The seven foot tall Porzingis had missed all of May’s action due to a calf strain added six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes as Boston left Dallas looking for answers.
Injury status for Game 2
It’s good news again for the team in green and as was the case for Game 1, Boston have no injury worries ahead of the second game of the series.
Luka Doncic is listed as probable on the Mavs pre-game injury report with his continued right knee sprain and left ankle soreness. Both those small injuries have not impeded the Slovenian from playing through the pain barrier throughout the playoffs with the 25-year-old yet to miss a start for Dallas and everything points to the shooting guard taking to the floor for tip-off at the TD Garden on Sunday night.
After Game 2 on Sunday, the best of seven series heads to Texas with the next two installments of the Finals set to be staged in Dallas’ American Airlines Centre.