Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis to have surgery on ailing leg

Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis told ESPN that he will undergo surgery on his left leg and expects a recovery process of a "few months."

Porzingis suffered a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. He sat out Games 3 and 4 in Dallas and returned to record five points and one rebound in 16 minutes in the Celtics' 106-88 championship-clinching victory over the Mavericks on Monday.

Porzingis admitted that he had some concern about returning to the court on Monday, however that was outweighed by his pursuit of the title.

"Of course. I think something could have happened, for sure, especially compensating now on the other leg now, which I just came back from," said Porzingis, referencing a calf injury that sidelined him for 10 games during the playoffs.

"There was definitely some added risk, but I didn't care. I was like, 'I want to give everything I can and then fix it after if I need to.'"

Porzingis, 28, had averages of 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocks across 57 games (all starts) during the regular season. Boston acquired the big man in a trade with the Washington Wizards this past offseason.

Porzingis also played for the Mavericks from 2019-22.

--Field Level Media