How serious is Kristaps Porzingis’ injury? Will he return for Game 5?

The Boston Celtics are in a commanding position in their playoff series against the Miami Heat. Monday’s 88-102 win puts the Cs 3-1 up but there is concern for Kristaps Porzingis who was listed as “doubtful” ahead of the game and completed just 14 minutes on court, retiring at the end of the second quarter.

The towering 7′3″ center complained of tightness to his right calf muscle and is undergoing tests to determine the extent of the problem. Hopefully it will be nothing more than a strain due to over-excursion which can be treated with ice packs, rest and massage.

According to sports physician Jesse Morse, there are four ways in which Porzingis could have damaged his calf muscle - in order of likelihood: a gastrocnemius strain, a soleus strain, a plantaris tear or, worst of all, an Achilles tear. Even if Porzingis has suffered a Grade I sprain, the least severe of the four possibilities, he could face 2-3 weeks on the sidelines.

Porzingis’ injury history

Whether Porzingis will be available for Game 5 in the series on Wednesday is another matter. The Latvian has struggled with his fitness during his career and his health has been up and down since joining Boston from the Wizards in June last year. He has been laid low with diverse complaints including hamstring, ankle, knee back and quad injuries.

Nevertheless the physically imposing Porzingis is Boston’s main rim protector with a defensive rating of 108.6 this season. Joe Mazzulla will be keen to have all of his key players fit as we enter the crucial part of the season - and to close out the series against the Heat as soon as possible. But the coach insisted that the plan remains exactly the same, with or without Porzingis.

“If anybody wants to ask, I haven’t got an update on Porzingis yet so we can save the time,” Mazzulla told reporters before his press conference got underway. “I didn’t see what happened and I haven’t got an update. Nothing changes. Bringing the same mindset, intentionality, toughness, details to the next game, so who’s available, it doesn’t matter. There is no difference between the regular season and the playoffs. All year, we’ve had guys stepping in and playing so... The most important thing is execute the gameplan and bring the mindset and toughness it takes”.

For now, Porzingis is listed as “day-to-day” which means he has a 50-50 chance of being available for Game 5 at TD Garden. He suffered a similar injury to his other calf muscle back in November, which initially kept him out for eight days. He sat out a total of eight games until his calf issues cleared up, finishing the regular season with a total of 57 games.

Even if Porzingis is given a clean bill of health following today’s tests, it is unlikely that Mazzulla will take any unnecessary risks with him. The coach is expected to rest the Latvian with the confidence that his team can close the series.