Boston Celtics’ center Kristaps Porzingis left Monday night’s playoff game against the Miami Heat due to right calf tightness. The incident occurred late in the first half, with about 2:35 left in the second quarter. Porzingis took a dribble, tried to move to his left, and immediately motioned to the Boston bench without any visible contact on the play. He was subbed out and went directly to the locker room, visibly in discomfort.
Earlier in the game, Porzingis appeared to get his feet tangled with Miami guard Tyler Herro, and later took a couple of awkward steps favoring his left leg. Despite these incidents, he remained in the game until he asked to come out due to the calf issue.
Porzingis, who missed seven games earlier in the season with left calf injuries, has been dealing with various health issues throughout the year, including problems with his right knee, right hamstring, left ankle, and back soreness. The Celtics announced that he was doubtful to return for the second half.
In the first half, Porzingis contributed seven points and three rebounds in just over 13 minutes of play. Throughout the regular season, he averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in 57 games. In the first three games of the Heat-Celtics series, he averaged 14.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
The Celtics will have to adjust their lineup in Porzingis’ absence as they continue their playoff run against the Miami Heat.