MIAMI — Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis took part in a lengthy shooting workout at the team’s morning shootaround prior to Friday night’s game against the Heat. But a few hours later he was once again ruled out, his eighth consecutive absence because of an undisclosed illness.
When coach Joe Mazzulla was asked if he had any update about Porzingis’s progress following his workout, he responded with just one word: no.
Forward Jaylen Brown, who has said he is battling various bumps and bruises, sat out against Miami with a sore right knee.
The Celtics, who are all but locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference standings, will look for opportunities to rest players down the stretch of the regular season. But forward Jayson Tatum said this week that he was looking forward to Porzingis’s return so the team could once again develop some cohesion with its top rotation players. On Friday, guard Derrick White reiterated that sentiment.
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“Obviously it’s a dynamic that we miss and something you can’t really duplicate,” White said. “So it’ll be nice once he gets back and healthy to get him back into the flow of things and get him back into game shape and everything. So it’s all a process and it’ll be nice to have him back.”
Mazzulla said the Celtics are trying to achieve several goals over the next month. They want to do what gives them the best chance to win each game, and they want to do what’s best for the players. But he made it clear that even though this Celtics core has developed plenty of chemistry over the last two seasons, it will be important to refresh it soon.
“I think it’s important to continue to get as many reps as we possibly can with our entire team,” Mazzulla said.
White runs afoul of streak
White has been selected to an NBA All-Defensive Team for each of the last two seasons, and he has developed an ability to pester opponents without giving referees a reason to stop him. In the Celtics’ home loss Wednesday to the Thunder, the eighth-year guard fouled out for the first time in his career.
“Pretty crazy,” White said, smiling. “Pretty crazy I hadn’t fouled out until then, so I was pretty disappointed to break my streak.”
White said he was aware of the streak, and even pointed it out to assistant coach Matt Reynolds earlier this year.
“He didn’t believe me, and of course I fouled out,” White said. “So I should have just kept my mouth closed.”
Mazzulla said White’s ability to defend without fouling is a valuable skill.
“He’s smart about how he has the ability to go for steals, how he times his blocks, his verticality,” Mazzulla said. “But I didn’t know that [he’d never fouled out]. That’s an interesting stat. But he has an innate ability to time all those things to where he can go for the ball, where he has verticality there. So he’s just got to continue to do that.”
Brissett’s name resurfaces
The 76ers are reportedly signing former Celtics wing Oshae Brissett to a 10-day contract. Brissett, a backup on last season’s championship team, declined his player option with the Celtics last summer because he wanted to pursue a larger role with another team. But he remained unsigned, and in January signed with the Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.
