Kristaps Porzingis seems to have avoided a scare after suffering a sprained ankle during the Celtics’ 143-110 victory over the Heat on Thursday night.
Midway through the third quarter, Porzingis contested a shot attempt from the Heat’s Bam Adebayo and his left ankle landed awkwardly on Adebayo’s foot. Porzingis went down in pain, immediately went to the locker room with a limp to treat his injury and ultimately didn’t return to the game. But he did come back to join his teammates on the bench, and was in good spirits as he watched the rest of the Celtics’ victory.
Porzingis told reporters in Miami that he likely could have returned to the game if needed and he described his injury as “not too bad” and that he’s “feeling pretty good now.”
“I think depending on the game a little bit, sprained ankle is no big deal in general, so if the situation needed, I would have played for sure,” Porzingis told reporters. “It was just at that point of the game, it’s smart to sit out.
“It’s feeling alright, it’s feeling alright. I think it’s going to swell up a little bit, but we’ll see how it is tomorrow and go from there.”
It’s unclear how much time Porzingis will miss and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said they’ll know more on Friday. The injury report for Saturday’s game against the Clippers will be released on Friday afternoon. Porzingis is optimistic that it’s only a day-to-day injury.
“I hope so,” Porzingis said. “I think tomorrow will be clearer, how it is doing, especially after the flight and all that. But as of right now, feeling pretty good and staying positive.”
