Boston Celtics bounced back against the Denver Nuggets following a tough loss vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder in their previous game.
Traveling to Denver, the Boston Celtics had a point to prove after suffering a 105-92 loss at the hands of the OKC Thunder.
As expected, every Celtics player seemingly played with a chip on their shoulder and registered a solid 118-106 win over the Nuggets.
Jayson Tatum led the team in scoring with 29 points to his name. But it was Kristaps Porzingis‘ 25-point scoring effort that completely threw the Nuggets off their game.
Celtics veteran speaks on Kristaps Porzingis’ impact
Porzingis has been in and out of the Celtics roster as he suffered a rare leg injury during the team’s 2024 NBA Championship run. After missing the majority of the new season, Porzingis was back only to suffer an ankle injury on NBA Christmas Day.
However, it feels like the veteran big man is finally healthy as he was given the clearance to feature in the Celtics vs. Nuggets game. Following the 25-point performance, Celtics star Jrue Holiday named one reason why the team needs Porzingis to contribute at an elite level.
“I’m guessing he’s about 85% back. But he was good. Today, he looked really good. Obviously, starting off knocking down threes, getting into the paint, got us that early lead, and him kind of leading the charge,” Holiday said.
“Obviously, when KP is playing well we are pretty tough to beat,” he concluded.
Despite Porzingis featuring in just 13 games this season, every Celtics player knows his importance. Now, it’s on KP to manage his load and be available for the team when he’s most needed.
Porzingis provides an update on his fitness
Porzingis missed four games due to his NBA Christmas Day injury. While he had a dominant performance vs. the Nuggets, there is obviously room for improvement.
KP talked about his fitness after the 12-point win over the Nuggets.
“80-85%. I still have a little bit to go. Shots need to calibrate a little bit better. I have been shooting the ball well this season, so there’s definitely things I can improve,” Porzingis told the media.
“I know that moment is coming when everything will start clicking and I’ll play really high-level basketball,” he announced.
Porzingis is averaging 17.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game this season. But considering he’s yet to reach his 100%, it’s scary to imagine how good the Celtics could be as they improve to a 27-10 record.
