A hot night for the Celtics was somewhat spoiled by an injury to Kristaps Porzingis.
Midway through the third quarter of Boston's primetime meeting with the Heat on Thursday, Porzingis landed on the foot of Heat center Bam Adebayo. Upon landing, Porzingis turned his left foot and immediately fell to the floor in clear pain before being helped to the locker room.
What does this mean for Porzingis and the Celtics moving forward? Here is what we know about his injury.
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What is Kristaps Porzingis' injury?
Porizingis suffered a sprained left ankle, per the Celtics.
Here is the play where Porzingis suffered the injury. After being helped to the locker room, Porzingis was ruled doubtful to return to the game. Up to that point, he had scored 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field.
Kristaps Porzingis rolled his ankle and needed some help getting to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/Skk21ehVE6
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) January 26, 2024
Porzingis would later return to the bench without a walking boot, a positive sign for his status moving forward.
After the game, Porzingis said his ankle is "not too bad" despite feeling bad when he first went down.
How long is Kristaps Porzingis out?
The time Porzingis misses will largely depend on the severity of his sprained ankle, which could be Grade 1, 2 or 3. He has been ruled doubtful for Boston's meeting with the LA Clippers on Saturday, Jan. 27.
Porzingis has appeared in 33 of Boston's first 45 games this season. He had an extended four-game absence in late November due to a calf injury. Porzingis' other missed games were single-game absences.
Here is Boston's upcoming schedule:
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| Jan. 27 | vs. Clippers | 7 p.m. | — |
| Jan. 29 | vs. Pelicans | 7:30 p.m. | — |
| Jan. 30 | vs. Pacers | 7:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Feb. 1 | vs. Lakers | 7:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Feb. 4 | vs. Grizzlies | 6 p.m. | — |
Check back for updates on Porzingis' status for the Celtics' upcoming games.
Kristaps Porzingis stats
- 19.5 points per game
- 6.8 rebounds per game
- 2.0 assists per game
- 1.9 blocks per game
- 0.7 steals per game
- 1.6 turnovers per game
- 52.5 percent field goal shooting
- 35.0 percent 3-point shooting
- 83.7 percent free throw shooting
