Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis optimistic his heel injury isn't anything serious
BOSTON -- Kristaps Porzingis leaving the court with an injury is not the sight anyone on the Boston Celtics wants to see. But the big man had to depart Sunday's 112-98 win over the Washington Wizards after suffering a right heel injury.
Porzingis played just 11 minutes on Sunday night before he left the court with what the Celtics termed "heel pain." At least the injury is in his right heel and not his left foot, which he had to undergo surgery on over the offseason.
While Porzingis did not return to action after leaving the court with a slight limp, both he and the team sound confident that this won't be a lasting issue for the versatile big man.
Porzingis optimistic after leaving Sunday's win with injury
Porzingis initially tweaked the heel in the first quarter, but didn't come out of the game until the second frame. He's not sure when it happened, but said his heel felt pretty sensitive in the second quarter. He told the medical staff, and they pulled him from the game.
"I don't think it's anything major," Porzingis said after the win. "I've had something similar in the past. It's something you play through and it's just a little precautionary tonight."
The Celtics were up by 19 points when Porzingis went to the locker room with just under four minutes left in the second quarter. He was considered questionable to return, but the Celtics didn't need him as they coasted to an easy victory over the three-win Wizards.
Porzingis has already missed 19 of Boston's 26 games this season as he recovered from that offseason surgery to repair the rare foot injury he suffered during the NBA Finals. Head coach Joe Mazzulla said that Porzingis was in "good spirits" after Sunday's game, and Porzingis even said that he thinks he'll be able to take the floor Thursday night when the Celtics host the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden.
"I think I should be fine for next game," he said. "We will see. We have three, four days off, so we'll see."
Porzingis was 5-of-6 from the floor and scored 11 points over his 11 minutes of action on Sunday. He's averaged 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in his seven games this season.
The Celtics will continue to take an overly cautious approach with their game-changing big man, who actually returned from his offseason surgery earlier than expected. With those extra days off until Boston's next game, it sounds like there's a good chance Porzingis will be out there when the Bulls come to Boston later this week.
And if not, veteran Al Horford (who got the night off Sunday for rest) and reserve center Luke Kornet can hold down the fort. Kornet played 27 minutes against the Wizards on Sunday and snagged 11 rebounds to go with seven points and four assists in place of Porzingis.
