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Boston Celtics’ Locker Room Reaction to Unsettling Kristaps Porzingis Injury After Game 4, Revealed by Unheralded Weapon

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Rex Villas | Last updated 5/1/24

The Boston Celtics absorbed a big injury blow in Game 4 of their series in the first round against the Miami Heat, with center Kristaps Porzingis going down with a lower-body injury. The injury was initially feared to be a season-ending Achilles tendon injury but it turned out to be a less serious one being just a right soleus strain.

After the game, Celtics backup big man Luke Kornett shared how the team took the news once everyone was in the locker room.

Via Bobby Manning of Celtics on CLNS:

Luke Kornet told me the #Celtics’ locker room was pretty quiet and focused after Porzingis’ injury on closing the game out. Al Horford talked to him and Xavier Tillman, telling them to get a good warmup in and be ready to go

Can The Boston Celtics Win Game 5 vs Heat Without Kristaps Porzingis?

Porzingis is not expected to play in the first round at least and would miss several more games should the Celtics manage to advance beyond the series versus the Heat. Even without the Latvian unicorn, the Celtics have enough weapons to soften the impact of his absence. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are healthy, while Derrick White is still fresh off an explosive performance.

Kornet, Al Horford, and Xavier Tillman can be expected to see their respective roles expand in the absence of Porzingis, who averaged 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in the first four games of the Miami series.

Porzingis is a significant loss for the Celtics, but that pales in comparison with what the Heat have been dealing with. Miami is playing without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier. That said, the Celtics not having their best rim protector around could that Heat star Bam Adebayo will have an easier time carving up the interior defense of Boston, which just allowed him to score 25 points and grab 17 rebounds in Game 4.

It is worth noting as well that the injury Porzingis suffered is the same as the one that has kept Milwaukee Bucks star and two-time league Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo from appearing in a game in the playoffs, thus far. Antetokounmpo last played on Apr. 9 against the Celtics in Milwaukee.

If the Celtics successfully advanced to the second round, they would meet the winner of the other series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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