Against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night, will one-time All-Star Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis suit up for the first time in nine games?
Boston could certainly use the help. According to Noa Dalzell of CLNS, All-Star forwards Jaylen Brown (right knee posterior impingement) and Jayson Tatum (right knee tendinopathy) are both questionable to suit up. All-Defensive Team starting guard Derrick White (left knee contusion) and agig sixth man center/power forward Al Horford (left big toe sprain) are both doubtful, an even more ominous pregame designation.
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But Porzingis, for the first time in a long time, has been upgraded to probable.
Celtics Injury Report vs. Brooklyn (3/15):
J. Brown - R Knee Posterior Impingement - QUESTIONABLE
A. Horford - L Big Toe Sprain - DOUBTFUL
K. Porzingis - Illness (Non-Covid) - PROBABLE
J. Tatum - R Knee Tendinopathy - QUESTIONABLE
D. White - L Knee Contusion - DOUBTFUL
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 15, 2025
The 7-foot-2 big man has been sidelined with a mystery illness for the past eight contests. Porzingis has struggled with injury-related absences for years, but now the issue is purely health-related.
Dalzell noted that, during the Celtics' eventual 103-91 victory against the Miami Heat on the road Friday, Porzingis looked more engaged as a sideline participant than he had for a bit.
This is just an observation, but Kristaps Porzingis looks super engaged on the bench - standing, clapping etc.
It's really reminding me of when he was super close to returning after surgery in Brooklyn, and he was extra locked in and a few days later back in the lineup.
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 14, 2025
In the 32 games he has played, the 29-year-old Latvian sensation has looked like his typical productive self. Thus far this year, Porzingis boasts averages of 18.9 points on .474/.403/.813 shooting splits, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 blocks and 0.8 steals a night.
Horford, when everyone is healthy, has been head coach Joe Mazzulla's preferred replacement for Porzingis in the middle. On Friday, with Brown sidelined, Tatum replaced him as a starting small forward. Horford was slotted in as the club's starting power forward, while Luke Kornet was installed as the Celtics' five.
Kornet finished with four points on 2-of-3 shooting from the floor, while Horford scored nine points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out five assists.
With the win against Miami, Boston improved to a 48-19 record on the year and clinched a playoff berth, meaning the team will finish among the Eastern Conference's top six even if the Celtics lose all of their final 15 games (spoiler alert: they won't do this).
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Boston will now avoid the play-in tournament for the fourth straight season.
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