As Kristaps Porzingis kept himself warm on an exercise bike – placed near the tunnel and surrounded by the crowd – a group of fans called out to him. The Celtics big man, as he does almost every game whether he’s playing or not, returned the love with a wave and smile.
Porzingis hasn't been bothered by anything during his first season in Boston, even though he's been kept out of more games than he'd like and treated with more caution than ever before. He's missed 21 games due to minor injuries this season, and while he would prefer to play more, he understands the situation.
“(It’s) definitely more cautious here,” Porzingis said after he came back from a five-game absence in the Celtics’ win over the Pistons on Monday. “I could have played through more stuff, 100 percent. But I understand that there will be a time and place for me to play through stuff. Especially at this point in the season, we’re in a pretty good spot, and we know what’s the most important thing is, is the playoffs. And that’s what we need to be – healthy, fresh, and ready to leave everything out there.”
Porzingis hasn't had a serious injury this season, but has had small injuries that have kept him out of games. He missed four games in November due to a calf injury, and at the time he mentioned the Celtics were being extra cautious with the long season in mind. The five games he just missed due to a hamstring strain was his longest absence of the season, but it didn’t seem very serious. He has missed other games here and there in an effort to preserve him.
The Celtics have skillfully managed Porzingis – who has a long history of injuries – understanding how crucial he is to their championship hopes. It’s worth noting that he's never had a deep playoff run, making it even more important for him to stay healthy and fresh in the meantime, especially as the Celtics hold a large lead in the standings. It's likely that Porzingis will take several more nights off between now and the end of the regular season.
Porzingis said he got his recent hamstring injury after the Nuggets loss in Denver two weeks ago. He didn’t think much of it initially – thinking it was just some tightness – but when he was warming up the morning of their next game in Phoenix, he felt something and alerted the medical staff.
“And of course they were really cautious with it,” Porzingis said. “So we did some imaging and you could see something, but it was mostly out of caution, to be honest. If life or death or was playoffs I would have been completely fine. And we took a long time and got to work on everything, but especially my hamstrings. I feel good now and it was just a lot of caution, I would say.”
Porzingis came back Monday with a limit on his playing time but had an unusual night. He played the first six minutes, then didn’t play the rest of the half. He stayed warm on the exercise bike as the first half ended, then returned to play 15 consecutive minutes to start the second half. He said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla wanted to keep minutes available in the second half in case the game was close.
The Celtics plan to be very careful with Porzingis for the next month, just like they have been all season. Porzingis said he wants to play more minutes, but he knows that the most important thing is to be in good shape for the playoffs, so he's willing to be patient for now.
Porzingis expressed his desire to play more, but he recognizes that the top priority is to enter the playoffs in the best possible condition.
A friendly bet
When Payton Pritchard made a 3-pointer to help Derrick White achieve his first triple-double in Monday’s win, it was also a way of settling a bet. Pritchard's Ducks beat White’s Buffaloes in Saturday’s Pac-12 championship game, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. This helped ease White’s disappointment.
White jokingly said, “That’s the least he could do for me.”
White wasn’t too concerned about his alma mater's defeat, as Colorado secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Colorado is the No. 10 seed and will play against Boise State, while Oregon, as the No. 11 seed, will face South Carolina.
White mentioned that there was some money involved in the bet, but he remains confident in his team's ability to make a strong showing in the tournament.
Injury update
Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Sam Hauser are all questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Bucks due to injuries. It’s a positive sign for Hauser that his condition has improved and it seems that he did not suffer a serious injury during Sunday’s win over the Wizards.
