Possibly already on vacation, Kristaps Porzingis has two games remaining before the All-Star break.
On Super Bowl Sunday, the Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 110-106 at the Kaseya Centre in a rivalry game.
However, Kristaps Porzingis had an injury scare in the third quarter, just as on their previous trip to South Beach.
This time, he had a lower back contusion instead of rolling his left ankle after landing on Bam Adebayo’s foot during the C’s 143-110 demolition of the hosts.The former All-Star did not play in the game again because of the lopsided score in the prior occurrence. He returned to the game on Sunday night and played a key role in the Celtics’ victory. Specifically, he tapped in a missed three-pointer by Jaylen Brown to keep the possession alive, which allowed Jayson Tatum to make two free throws and put his side up 110-104 with 14.1 seconds remaining.
The native of Latvia gave an encouraging report following the win, saying, “My back is fine. Bam gave me a little (of) a bump on a rebound, nothing too serious. To make sure everything was fine, warmed up again, and functioning properly, (I) went to the back.”
However, it’s unclear if the seven-foot-three centre will play against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. Because of the previously noted lower back contusion, Boston rates him as doubtful.
Xavier Tillman (left knee injury management) and Jaden Springer (right ankle impingement) are out for the Celtics.
The plan seems to be to keep them out until after the two games versus the Nets that remain before the All-Star break. “I don’t have a timeline” for Tillman’s team debut, he stated on Friday.
Boston might decide to wait to sign Porzingis until following the All-Star break. Since Al Horford doesn’t play in back-to-backs, expect him to suit up on Tuesday and be out of the lineup for the TD Garden game against Brooklyn on Wednesday.
