NBA Finals: Kristaps Porzingis available for Boston Celtics in Game 5 vs. Dallas Mavericks

Kristaps Porzingis is good to go.

The Boston Celtics announced that Porzingis is available for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night after he missed the last two games with a left leg injury. It's unclear how much Porzingis will end up playing against the Dallas Mavericks in the contest, but head coach Joe Mazzulla said before the game that they "expect to see him tonight."

The 7-foot-2 Latvian originally sustained a posterior tibialis dislocation in his left leg during the Celtics' Game 2 win over the Mavs when he collided with Dallas center Derek Lively II in the third quarter. He came up limping and didn't look right for the rest of the game.

Porzingis missed Game 3, but was active for Game 4 — though "active" might be a strong word for it. Head coach Joe Mazzulla said before Boston's Game 4 loss that Porzingis was “not quite there" in terms of starting, but available to play in "very specific instances if necessary."

No one (but Mazzulla, presumably) knows what those instances are, but none of them occurred in Game 4 as the Celtics got blown out by the Mavericks 122-84. The championship wasn't on the line, and Porzingis subsequently didn't see any playing time.

Despite the loss, resting Porzingis helped him be ready for the Celtics' golden opportunity on Monday night. They've got a 3-1 lead and they're playing at home against the Mavericks. They need just one more win to bring that trophy home, and Mazzulla's got all hands on deck to make it happen.