The Boston Celtics will have reinforcements for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Kristaps Porzingis “completed multiple scrimmages” and is expected to return to action for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday barring setback, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Porzingis has been out since going down with a right soleus strain in Game 4 of the Celtics’ first-round series against the Miami Heat on April 29.
It’s been a slow build for the 28-year-old, who was never given a true timeline by the Celtics. He returned to practice Saturday, evidently making enough strides over the weekend to have Boston feeling comfortable enough to let him give it a go.
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“He did everything the team did,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla shared following Saturday’s practice. “We’ll go significantly harder (Sunday). (Saturday) was kind of moderate but he went through everything that the team did today.”
The Celtics haven’t had any trouble without Porzingis, but his return to the lineup surely will help in their pursuit of Banner 18. The C’s and Mavericks will take the court for Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Thursday at TD Garden.
Tipoff for the opener of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
