Kristaps Porzingis was uncertain if he would be in the lineup for the Boston Celtics when they play the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
Porzingis sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of Boston’s 143-110 road victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday.
He was taken to the locker room and did not return to the game, although he did return to the bench in the fourth quarter. Porzingis was listed as doubtful on the team’s initial injury report for the Saturday game, but said he could have returned to action on Thursday if necessary.
“Sprained ankle is not a big deal in general, so if the situation needed, I would have been able to play (late against the Heat) for sure,” Porzingis said postgame. “Just at that point of the game, it was smart to sit out.
“It’s feeling all right. I think it’s going to swell up a little bit, but we’ll see how it is. … But as of right now, feeling pretty good and staying positive.”
Porzingis is averaging 19.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season, his first with the Celtics after he arrived from the Washington Wizards in a three-team offseason deal.
The victory over Miami allowed Boston to sweep its three-game road trip, which included wins against the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics were scorching hot from the field against the Heat. Boston shot a season-high 63.7 percent (51 of 80) from the floor and 55 percent (22 of 40) on 3-point attempts. Nine Boston players made at least one 3-pointer, and seven scored in double figures.
“I thought we played a really good game,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “As I said to a few of the guys, this game is really good but it means nothing at all in the grand scheme of things if we don’t take the lessons that we need to and apply it to the next game.”
The Clippers extended their winning streak to four games by beating the Toronto Raptors 127-107 on Friday. It was the first stop on a seven-game road trip for Los Angeles.
James Harden collected 22 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in the victory, the 75th triple-double of his career.
The Clippers received 21 points from Paul George and 20 from Russell Westbrook. Kawhi Leonard added 16 points and seven rebounds as Los Angeles prevailed for the 12th time in the past 14 games.
“It makes it a lot easier on Kawhi and PG not to have to handle or make every play themselves for our team,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Acquiring James just makes it so much easier for those guys. Easy catch-and-shoot threes. Not having to rely on making every play like they did in the past few years.
“James has been great. Keeps everybody happy.”
The Celtics made a season-high 25 3-pointers when they went on the road and beat the Clippers 145-108 on Dec. 23. Jayson Tatum scored 30 points in the victory and Jaylen Brown added 24. George led the Clippers with 21.
Los Angeles didn’t have Leonard for that game because of a hip contusion. Boston played without Porzingis, who was dealing with a sprained left ankle — just as he is this week.
–Field Level Media