Kristaps Porzingis gives a status report on his back injury following the Celtics’ victory against the Heat.
The Boston Celtics secured a 110-106 victory on Super Bowl Sunday against the Miami Heat in a tense match-up at the Kaseya Center.
In this rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals, which proved to be much more competitive than their prior encounter, a 143-110 triumph by Boston, Kristaps Porzingis once again stood out before causing concern among Celtics fans.
The seven-foot-three center tallied 19 points during Boston’s previous trip to Miami but left early after injuring his left ankle by landing on Bam Adebayo’s foot. Despite expressing his readiness to return to the game, he remained on the sidelines due to the considerable lead.
On Sunday, he continued to exploit switches and challenges posed by Erik Spoelstra, stretching the hosts’ zone defense thin and contributing points for both himself and his teammates. Porzingis, hailing from Latvia, concluded the game with 25 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
However, during the third quarter, the same period when he injured his ankle in his previous visit to the arena, he suffered a lower back contusion in a separate incident involving Adebayo, who once again played a role but without any malicious intent, according to a team update.
Despite this setback, Porzingis returned for the final quarter, aiding the Celtics in their victory, including a pivotal play in the closing moments. He secured a rebound from a missed three-pointer by Jaylen Brown, prolonging the possession and resulting in two free throws for Jayson Tatum, which gave the visitors a 110-104 lead with 14.1 seconds remaining.
Following the game, the former All-Star provided an optimistic update on his health, stating, “My back is fine. I got a little bump from Bam on a rebound, but nothing serious. I went to the back to make sure it was good, warmed up again, and all good.”
Porzingis also addressed an altercation between Jaylen Brown and Duncan Robinson in the fourth quarter, where the two players became entangled, leading to a technical foul for Brown. This incident energized the crowd at the Kaseya Center and intensified the game’s atmosphere.
“I love it,” said Porzingis. “I love it. I think we have to take those moments—those emotional moments, in a good way. Make us fired up but controlled. We have to stay controlled. Because that’s their game; they need us to react to something. So, as JB said, we own our space, but we don’t have to react back. They have to do that to mix up the game (and) to make something happen. And I think we have to be smart in those situations but show that we’re right there.”
