Kristaps Porzingis exited the Celtics game against the Washington Wizards in the second quarter and did not return in the second half due to right heel pain.
While Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla simply said postgame that Porzingis was in “good spirits” after Boston’s win, the big man himself offered a much more detailed update.
“I banged up my heel a little bit in the first quarter and I kept in playing,” Porzingis told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame show. “It was nothing major, honestly. More like a precautionary thing. It was pretty sensitive. I told the medical staff, and they just pulled me out of the game. I don’t think it’s anything major.”
Porzingis only returned to the court a few weeks ago after missing the beginning of the season still recovering from foot surgery over the summer. He was putting together one of his best games since returning to the lineup before exiting early. In 11 minutes, Porzingis was 5-for-6 from the field scoring 11 points, helping the Celtics build a double-digit lead in Washington.
The good news for the Celtics is Boston is off until Thursday when the Chicago Bulls come to town for a matchup at TD Garden, giving Porzingis three days rest. And that the injury isn’t related too anything that has kept him sidelined previously in his career.
“I think I should be fine for the next game,” Porzingis said. “We will see. We have three, four days off, so we’ll see.”
