Why Isn’t Kristaps Porziņģis Playing Tonight vs Cavs? Celtics Injury Report, Depth Chart Ahead of Game 4 in Cleveland

The Boston Celtics bounced back from a dejected loss to take the lead in Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals. As they prepare to face the Cleveland Cavaliers once more before returning home for Game 5, the Cs are missing a key piece of their winning formula: Kristaps Porziņģis. The player has been on their injury report since Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs.

Although the team won the series against the Miami Heat, it came at the heavy cost of losing their All-Star forward. Porziņģis left the arena in a foot brace that night, limping noticeably and looking pained. The Celtics have been extremely careful with their resident Latvian center. His affinity for injury wasn’t unknown, but when he is healthy and on the floor, along with their championship-lined roster, Boston has simply been undefeatable.

The Celtics’ official X account recently dropped their injury report, and according to it, the 28-year-old remains ‘out’ with a right soleus strain. Aside from Kristaps, Luke Kornet is also on the injury list. They listed him as ‘probable’ with right calf tightness: “Luke Kornet (right calf tightness) – PROBABLE, Kristaps Porzingis (right soleus strain) – OUT.“

Kornet, who shared the duties of Porziņģis on the floor with Al Horford, dealt with a calf injury during the Heat series. This caused him to miss a few games. Now, the hope is that the reserve big man will suit up come game time. As for Porziņģis, the 240-pound No. 4 pick has been a defensive stalwart for the ‘Beantown’ this season. He has remained largely consistent throughout his career, averaging 20.1 points in the regular season this year.

As for his playoff stats, they have taken a considerable dip from the previous two postseason runs as well as his career. Kristaps Porziņģis averaged 15.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 14 games in the playoffs in his career. This season, though, his stat line dropped to 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. Well, the numbers rarely paint a complete picture, and that is the case with the 2015 EuroCup Rising Star.

His contributions as a reliable floor-spacing big, a rim protector, and a scoring threat from the post have proved to be difference-makers in the overall outing of the Boston Celtics. That said, let’s take a look at what the Cs depth chart for tonight looks like.

The depth chart of the Boston Celtics for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals

Seeing as how the ‘Bay State’ has divided Porziņģis’ duties between Al Horford and Luke Kornet, the same can be expected for Game 4, too. Considering that Kornet is going to be a game-time decision, Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta are likely to see more minutes on the floor. Without further ado, here’s the depth chart for the Cs.

While Horford has stepped up in a big way for the team in Kristaps’ absence, they are equally handicapped in the area of putting reliable big men on the floor. With Kornet’s presence also doubtful, Coach Mazzulla will have to get creative.

Game 4 is scheduled to tip-off at 7:00 PM ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. Stay tuned for updates!