It would be easy to forget that the Celtics have been missing, well, their missing link for the last ten days. A five-game winning streak by an average of nearly 18 points per game will do that. But don’t get it twisted, Boston is better with big man Kristaps Porzingis.
In a much-anticipated return, Porzingis finished with 20 points on an efficient 7-of-14 from the field (5-of-9 from three) with eight rebounds and a block and steal in the Celtics 119-94 throttling of the Pistons.
KP played just under twenty-two minutes in his comeback after not playing since March 7th. His minutes restriction provided for an interesting substitution pattern.
“Felt great, felt great. Because I had the minutes restriction, just different spurts of playing, barely playing in the first [half], and then in the second, I had a longer stretch,” Porzingis said after playing just 6 minutes in the first quarter and then over fifteen straight in the second half. “It’s something unusual, but other than that, it’s always good to be out there.”
Between stints, Porzingis rode a stationary bike behind the bench to keep warm. As concerning as that may seem, he was sure to assuage any concerns about his health.
Following Boston’s loss in Denver, Porzingis felt some tightness in his hamstring after posting 24 and 12 against Nikola Jokic and the defending champs. MRI imaging revealed something small, but with the playoffs just around the corner and Boston with a sizeable lead in the East, the Celtics medical staff decided to err on the side of caution. Porzingis missed the subsequent four games of the road trip and wanted to return Thursday against the Suns.
“It’s a different mindset here than other teams I’ve been on, but of course, me as a player, I always want to be out there against — no disrespect — against Detroit, whoever, regular season, end of season, I want to be out there. I just [keep in mind] the big picture,” Porzingis said.
Had it already been the postseason or if seeding was still in play, Porzingis was confident that he could have played through the minor injury. Now, with the Celtics up ten games over Milwaukee and 7.5 ahead of OKC, he and the team can be careful in the final fourteen games, especially with six-game road trip on the horizon.
“[He] played the minutes he needed to play. Came out good. I talked to him after the game. It didn’t look like he missed too much of a beat on either end of the floor,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So, it’s good to see, that even with that time off, he can kinda continue that rhythm.”
