Kristaps Porziņģis, the Latvian big of the Boston Celtics, exited the game in what was a non-contact injury in the first half. In the second quarter, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Bam Adebayo were right on Jaylen Brown as Porziņģis came up to help. Brown passed the ball to Kristaps when suddenly he lost control of it for a split second. Fortunately for Boston, JB was at hand to get hold of it.

But the 28-year-old wasn’t able to make any sudden movements as he started limping and left for the locker room. In the latest updates, it seems that Kristaps Porziņģis won’t be returning for the rest of the game. It’s said to be a right calf tightness. According to Wojnarowski, he will undergo medical imaging tests first thing tomorrow. As of now, there are no signs that he might be suffering from an Achilles injury.

In Porziņģis’ absence, Luke Kornet gets the backup center minutes behind the 5x All-Star, Al Horford. Given the NBA All-Star’s injury history, the Celtics have been quite careful with him. Throughout the season, the team has been sure not to over-exert him to be ready for the postseason. And now, for him to suffer a non-contact injury just seems like the delaying of the inevitable.

Coach Mazzulla, before answering any questions, made one thing clear – that he had no update whatsoever on Porziņģis’ condition. But the latest update on the 7’2 forward-center isn’t too comforting.

Kristaps Porziņģis exits the arena in walking boots

Whatever caught Porziņģis unawares did a number on him. If the sudden hobbling on the court was scary, his walking out of Kaseya Center in walking boots is concerning. His gait alone shows the difficulty he’s facing.

Jayson Tatum had recently referred to Porziņģis as “probably our most important guy on our team for what we’re trying to accomplish.” Analysts and basketball veterans have agreed, on several occasions, with Tatum. When the Cs traded Marcus Smart for Porziņģis, not many were excited. But then again, some of the realistic ones agreed that were it not for Kristaps’ affinity for injury, the chances of Boston landing the All-Star caliber player were less.

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Except for his rookie season, Porziņģis hasn’t played in more than 66 games in the regular season. He missed the entire 2018-19 season with an ACL injury. And this season, he’s only appeared in 57 games. But when the Celtics got him from Washington, the All-Rookie First Teamer was averaging career highs in field goal percentage (49.8) and true shooting percentage (62.7).

Although he’s playing only an average of 29.6 minutes per game, he has set a new career-high in both. In the 2023-24 regular season, Porziņģis has shot 51.6% from the field and boasts a 64.7 true shooting percentage. If he does require rest, Boston shouldn’t face too much of an issue advancing past the Heat without Kristaps Porziņģis. But the team would need him further into the playoffs. Hopefully, Tuesday’s imaging goes well for the sake of the team.