The Celtics will be without their big man in a potential close-out game against the Heat.
Boston centre Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out for Game 5 against Miami after suffering a right soleus (calf) strain in Game 4 on Monday, the team announced Tuesday.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that it could be much worse for the Celtics, as he could be set to miss multiple games with the calf injury.
The injury occurred with 2:35 left in the second quarter. Porzingis took a dribble as he tried to move to his left, then pulled up — without any visible contact on that play — and immediately motioned to the Boston bench. He was subbed out eight seconds later and went directly to the Celtics' locker room, stopping along the way to pull the top of his jersey over his face.
Wojnarowski also reported that Porzingis was set to undergo an MRI on Tuesday but that early indications suggest that he hasn't sustained an Achilles injury.
Porzingis missed seven games earlier this season with what the Celtics called left calf injuries, and he wears tape over the back of his left leg as a precaution.
The Celtics are currently up 3-1 in their first-round series against the Heat and fared well despite losing Porzingis in Game 4, winning the contest 104-88.
However, the Latvia native is still a big part of their rotation as he has averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in the regular season, appearing in 57 games. In the first three games of the Heat-Celtics series entering Monday, Porzingis averaged 14.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
-- With files from The Associated Press
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