Just as they did on Friday night ahead of Game 4 in Dallas, the Celtics are listing Kristaps Porzingis as available for Game 5 tonight at the Garden. He had been previously considered questionable over the weekend.
If you’re on Celtics social media, you’ve probably seen dozens of videos of KP warming up over the last hour. In addition to his normal shooting in the post and from behind the arc, Porzingis also completed defensive drills and rebounding.
Yesterday, teammate Xavier Tillman Sr. noted that while Porzingis is progressing, he’s still not 100%.
“He’s doing some stuff, but you can still tell that he’s very uncomfortable,” Xavier Tillman Sr. said. “We don’t want to put him in any type of situation that could really hurt him. It’s been pretty much the same.”
It’s still unknown what Porzingis will be able to do with the torn medial retinaculum in his left ankle. On Friday, head coach Joe Mazzulla said that Porzingis was “available for specific instances.” Tonight, Mazzulla said he was “expecting to see him tonight” with no minutes restrictions.
However, his impact is undeniable. The Celtics have been a +25 with him on the floor and a glaring -31 without him through the first four games.
