The Celtics weren’t at full strength, but it didn’t matter too much as they blew out the Rockets to get off to a 2-0 start on their four-game road trip. Importantly, Kristaps Porzingis was back on the court after missing the past four games due to the left ankle sprain he suffered Christmas Day.
Porzingis played 28 minutes in the win over the Rockets on Friday in Houston. He finished with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists as he was upgraded to available pregame. With Porzingis dealing with his share of injuries, he updated his status after the game and how he’s felt thus far.
“I felt alright,” Porzingis told reporters in Houston. “Still haven’t been in my best shape this season yet, so it’s a little bit tough. But I’m happy to be healthy and working my way toward feeling better and better each game.”
Porzingis’ impact was felt Friday as the C’s leaned again on their double big lineup, though he wasn’t perfect. While it was the Al Horford and Neemias Queta show Thursday in the Timberwolves victory, it was a different look against the Rockets. On the second night of the back-to-back, C’s coach Joe Mazzulla rolled with Porzingis alongside Luke Kornet. That lineup showed up big-time, including to start the fourth quarter on an 11-0 run to blow the game wide open.
The Celtics will continue to be cautious with their big man’s ankle. He’s been injury prone throughout his career, which is also why he missed the opening month of the season. Porzingis needed to repair his rare foot injury from the NBA Finals as surgery rehab forced him to sit games.
Porzingis has talked about his frustrations from missing games and being forced to sit as he has yet to develop a consistent rhythm this season. But that’s life as these minor injuries have affected him. The C’s have taken a careful approach since trading for him, keeping him out of games dating back to last year, though injuries still happen.
Regardless, the Celtics will hope Porzingis can stay relatively healthy through the rest of the regular season and playoffs. The goal, of course, is to have him healthy come mid-April and beyond, when the playoffs start and the intensity is ramped up. The C’s are at their best when he’s healthy, after all.
“It’s tough for him because he’s going through a transition of coming in,” Mazzulla said. “But I thought his defense in the second half was tremendous. I thought we went to a couple things that kind of got him going a little bit on some pin-downs and got him comfortable. I thought for his first game back, I thought he was great. He really helped us, especially defensively, in the second half.”
