What happened to Kristaps Porzingis? Celtics center leaves game with another injury vs Wizards (Dec. 15)
Kristaps Porzingis and the Boston Celtics took on the Washington Wizards on Sunday. But late in the first half, the Celtics big man walked back to the locker room with a limp.
Thankfully, the injury wasn't severe enough to the point that he couldn't walk on his own. The Celtics had designated Porzingis as questionable to return due to right heel pain; he never came back for the second half.
Porzingis, who has a long history of injuries, suffered a right calf strain during the 2024 NBA Playoffs. He returned in the NBA Finals, where he injured his left foot and required offseason surgery. He came into the Wizards game averaging 20.3 points and 7.8 rebounds in six games this season.
Fortunately for the Boston Celtics, Kristaps Porzingis' absence in the second half against the Washington Wizards didn't affect them as much. They still came up with the win thanks to Jayson Tatum's double-double performance.
Celtics vs Wizards recap: Boston secures win despite Kristaps Porzingis' mid-game absence
The Boston Celtics were the clear favorite to get another win against the Washington Wizards, who were dead last in the Eastern Conference with a 3-21 record. Given the circumstances, the Celtics easily defeated their conference rivals with a 112-98 finish.
Carrying the Celtics to victory was none other than Jayson Tatum. JT had a solid double-double performance, adding 28 points and 12 rebounds. Supporting him on offense were six other Celtics players.
Payton Pritchard also notched a double-double of his own with 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. As expected, he shot the most efficiently from deep with 50% accuracy. Derrick White had an all-around performance with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.
Then there's Sam Hauser, who delivered on both ends of the floor with 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Jrue Holiday also added 12 points. Jaylen Brown struggled to find his shot, scoring only 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
Kristaps Porzingis was also in double figures after scoring 11 points in the first half. However, due to his injury, he was forced to sit out the remainder of Sunday's game.