Kristaps Porzingis pulled up against the Miami Heat on Monday with a calf injury and was forced into the locker room.
Boston led 47-31 late in the second quarter. Porzingis took a pass from Jaylen Brown on a half-court set, then lost control of the ball while pulling up in pain. He immediately raised his hand to take himself out of the game and started limping.
The Celtics listed him as questionable at halftime with a right calf strain. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Porzingis is scheduled for imaging Tuesday during the third quarter, and early indications are that he is not suffering from an Achilles tendon injury.
Porzingis appeared to adjust a couple of possessions before leaving the floor. The change came lamely after he missed a Celtics.
He was in the game only to leave the floor limping moments later. Al Horford took his place in the starting lineup in the second half.
The Celtics entered Monday down 2-1 in their first-round playoff series and led 53-36 at halftime. The injury is a significant blow to Boston if Porzingis is forced to miss extended time.
Porzingis was pivotal for the Celtics as they posted an NBA-best 64-18 regular-season record in his first season with Boston. He averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 51.6% from the floor and 37.5% from 3 during the regular season.
