Kristaps Porzingis Shines in Return from Illness, Celtics Edge Nets
NEW YORK — The Boston Celtics’ big man, Kristaps Porzingis, made a triumphant return to the court on Saturday, scoring 24 points in 32 minutes to help secure a 115-113 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. This marked the end of an eight-game absence for Porzingis, who had been sidelined due to a mysterious illness.
Porzingis, who had been battling an upper respiratory illness that evolved into something akin to bronchitis or mononucleosis, expressed his frustration over the situation. “It was extremely, extremely frustrating, just not knowing what I had,” he said. “But I haven’t been this sick for probably ever in my life. So, I was really, for a week, really just laying at home trying to recover. And after that, I had lingering fatigue — and I still have it a little bit — but at least I’m not getting into shape to be able to play.”
The 7-foot-3 Latvian had been out since a February 26 loss to the Detroit Pistons with what the team described as a non-COVID illness. During Monday’s win over the Utah Jazz in Boston, Porzingis took to social media to share his struggles, stating, “I have been dealing with some viral illness that we haven’t been able to fully identify yet. I am recovering and getting better. But still working my way back to full [strength] to help this team. Thanks for the support and [I’m] hoping for a healthy return soon.”
Porzingis felt compelled to address the questions surrounding his absence, saying, “I was just getting a lot of questions. I saw it on social media and people wanted to know what’s going on, why I’m out for so long. Honestly, it was frustrating for me. I was like, ‘Illness, out. Illness, out.’ Like, ‘Come on, this guy can’t play through some illness?’ Even I would think that.”
He emphasized that his absence was due to a genuine health issue, stating, “I just wanted to let people know that I was really, like, dealing with something. I’d never sit out for some cough or something. If I’m out with illness, it has to be where I really can’t play to help the team. That was it. I just wanted to give an update and that’s it. I got a lot of support. That was really nice. I always appreciate the love and support I get from Celtics fans and back home and everywhere.”
Porzingis had attempted to prepare for games, including a highly anticipated matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, but found himself too fatigued to participate. “Last Saturday morning, I was so tired that I couldn’t get out of bed for shootaround before the Lakers game,” he admitted.
Despite being upgraded to questionable for games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat, Porzingis was ultimately ruled out. However, on Saturday, he was upgraded to probable and officially cleared to play about 90 minutes before tip-off against the Nets.
- Boston Celtics’ record with Porzingis sidelined: 28-7
- Boston Celtics’ record with Porzingis on the court: 21-12
- Brooklyn Nets’ recent performance: Lost 10 of their last 11 games
Porzingis played 32 minutes, including almost the entire fourth quarter, and finished with a team-best plus-13, along with two rebounds and a blocked shot. Celtics guard Payton Pritchard praised Porzingis, saying, “It just shows the skill set he has. I mean, he’s a unicorn, so he’s an unreal player and obviously when we have him, we’re just even more dangerous.”
One of the quirks of Boston’s season has been their record with Porzingis sidelined compared to when he’s on the court. Despite this, no one would argue that the Celtics are better without the 7-foot-3 sharpshooter’s combination of rim protection and versatile scoring.
Porzingis missed the first month of the season after offseason surgery on his left leg to repair a rare tendon injury, which he suffered during Boston’s five-game NBA Finals victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston is now 17-4 in its past 21 games and 5 ½ games ahead of the New York Knicks for second place in the Eastern Conference. Given the Celtics are also nine losses behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, the final few weeks of the regular season will be about fine-tuning and cleaning up things. One of those goals will be getting Boston’s preferred starting lineup of Porzingis, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White humming. That group outscored opponents by 11 points per 100 possessions last season, but has been outscored in its 20 games this season.
Boston, however, isn’t concerned about that. “We know what we can do when everybody’s out there,” said Jayson Tatum, who had 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.
After a long two-plus weeks, Porzingis was happy to be with his teammates and hopes he has put this illness behind him for good. “It felt great,” he said. “Honestly, I was not feeling perfect today, either, but I got in the mindset of, ‘I want to play and start to get back.’ As the game went on, I felt better and better. I kind of had a little crash in the third but I pushed through it and in the fourth, had a great fourth. Yeah, it was a close one, but I’m happy we got it done.”
Originally Written by: Tim Bontemps
