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• Porzingis uncertain to play in Game 3 due to 'serious' leg injury

  Boston Celtics centre Kristaps Porzingis sustained a rare injury to his left leg, putting his status for Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday into question.

  The Celtics announced on Tuesday that he suffered a torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon.

  The injury occurred with 3:27 to play in the third quarter of Sunday's 105-98 win over the Mavericks, which gave Boston a 2-0 lead.

  The team described the injury as being rare, and said it is unrelated to a right calf strain that side-lined Porzingis for 10 games earlier in the play-offs.

  He has not yet been listed on the official injury report, but the Celtics said his status is day to day.

  Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters that Porzingis is working hard to be ready to play.

  “It's a serious injury," Mazzulla said. "At the end of the day, our medical team is not going to put him in any bad situations. So, we’ve taken the decision to play out of his hands.”

  Porzingis was seen wearing a brace before speaking with the media on Tuesday.

  "I'll see how I am tomorrow," he said, "and obviously I'm going to do everything I can to be out there."

  Porzingis helped spark the Celtics in Thursday's 107-89 win in Game 1, tallying 11 points and two blocks in the first quarter in his first game since April 29.

  He finished with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and six rebounds before recording 12 points and four boards in Game 2.

   

• Hurley reportedly turns down job to coach Lakers

  Dan Hurley has reportedly decided not to take the Los Angeles Lakers' head coaching job.

  Hurley, who has won back-to-back collegiate national championships at UConn, turned down a six-year, $70million contract to coach the Lakers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

  The deal would've made him one of the NBA's highest-paid coaches.

  UConn is now reportedly planning to make him the highest-paid collegiate coach.

   

  Hurley reportedly was the Lakers' top choice for their head coaching vacancy following the firing of Darvin Ham after the team was eliminated from the play-offs in the first round.

  The position of being head coach of the Lakers is one of the most high-profile basketball jobs on the planet - and includes coaching one of the greatest players in the sport's history in LeBron James - but Hurley will stay at UConn, where he has gone 68-11 over the past two seasons with a pair of championships.

  By staying at UConn, Hurley will now try to achieve something that's only been done once before and that's win three straight men's national titles. UCLA is the only men's program to accomplish that feat, winning seven in a row from 1967-73.

  Hurley has led the Huskies to a 141-58 record in his six seasons at UConn. He signed a $32.1million, six-year deal a year ago after leading the program to the 2023 national title.

  With Hurley no longer in the fold, TV analyst and former player JJ Redick, as well as New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego are reportedly the top candidates for the Lakers.

• Brown hails Holiday 'killer-like mentality' after Celtics double NBA Finals lead

  Jaylen Brown saluted Jrue Holiday's "killer-like mentality" as the latter starred in the Boston Celtics' victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

  Holiday top-scored with 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who moved 2-0 ahead in the NBA Finals series with a 105-98 win in Game 2 at TD Garden.

  The 33-year-old, who was also 11 from 14 in the field, is eyeing his second NBA title, having triumphed with the Milwaukee Bucks three years ago.

  And Brown believes that experience and know-how will be crucial as Boston move within two wins of their record-breaking 18th championship.

  "He's brought championship pedigree to our team," he said. "So, nothing Jrue says we question. Jrue, he comes in, and he just is who he is.

  "He's got that demeanour, that killer-like mentality, and we respect it. He's a great team-mate, and it's just an honour to play next to him."

  "He was unbelievable," Al Horford added. "His effort defensively, and everything he brings on that end. And then, on offense, making reads, making the game easy, making the right decisions.

  "He's so poised, and you can tell that he has been in these types of moments. Just very composed and just out there getting the job done."

  The Celtics' ninth straight win of this postseason took them halfway towards their first NBA title in 16 years, but Holiday knows there is still a long way to go yet.

  "We know being up 2-0 means nothing," he said. "[The] job's not done. We have to do whatever it takes. I'm here to win. I feel like they brought me here to win, and I'll do my best to do that."