Kristaps Porzingis ruled out for Game 3 of NBA Finals after suffering ‘rare’ leg injury

The Boston Celtics will look to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals with their 7′3″ man in the middle riding the pine, the team announced Wednesday night.

Center Kristaps Porzingis was ruled out for Game 3 in Dallas as the former All-Star combats a rare leg injury he suffered during Boston’s Game 2 victory.

Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum, allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg, in the third quarter of Boston’s 105-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night, Coach Joe Mazzulla confirmed during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Porzingis told reporters Tuesday that he would make every effort to play but head coach Joe Mazzulla said the decision would be taken out of the Latvian star’s hands.

“He’s doing anything and everything he can to be ready for the game tomorrow. It’s a serious injury...We’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands because of the importance of him,” Mazzulla said.

When asked after Game 2 how difficult it was to play through the injury, Porzingis told the media, “Not difficult at all...I’ll die out there if we need.”

The posterior tibialis tendon is a strong cord of tissue that connects the calf muscle to the bones in the arch of the foot.

Porzingis returned to the lineup in time for Game 1 of the Finals after being sidelined since leaving a game in Boston’s opening-round playoff series against the Miami Heat with a calf injury.

In Game 1, Porzingis provided a major scoring punch — 20 points in 21 minutes of action — that jumpstarted the Celtics’ blowout win over Dallas.

Game 3 between Dallas and Boston will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. at Dallas’ American Airlines Center.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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