BOSTON — In their penultimate game of the season, the Boston Celtics took on the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Everyone other than Jaylen Brown suited up, allowing Boston to run their regular starters (with Al Horford in place of Brown). Charlotte was banged up, and the likes of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Tre Mann were all sidelined, leaving the Celtics runway to kick them to the curb.
The Celtics earned a 130-94 victory, securing their 60th win of the season, marking the first time they’ve reached that mark in back-to-back years since 2008 and 2009. Two days later, they secured a second straight win over the Hornets, finishing the year with a 61-21 record. But hidden amidst the slaughter was Kristaps Porzingis.
Literally, hidden.
Kristaps Porzingis injury panic was out of hand
After starting the game and getting regular minutes in the first half (he played 18:17), Porzingis did not come back out in the second half. He finished the half with 11 points, five rebounds, and two assists on 2-of-11 shooting from the field, including 2-of-7 from deep.
WHERE IS PORZINGIS?
— Joe Zee🍀 (@BostonCards630) April 12, 2025
okay but where’s porzingis
— tobillions (@tbilllls) April 12, 2025
Injured. or else he would have sat on the bench with his teammates
— Kenneth Lamb (@klamb33) April 12, 2025
Quickly, panic spread throughout Celtics Twitter. Everyone wanted to know where Porzingis went and why he wasn’t on the bench. After the game, Joe Mazzulla provided a bluntly simple answer regarding the status of the Latvian big man: “He’s good. He’s perfectly fine.”
When it comes to injuries, everything Mazzulla said needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Historically, he hasn’t given huge updates on injuries, even when they have turned out to be more significant issues.
But at the same time, the Celtics didn’t provide any PR updates. When a player gets hurt and may not return to a game, they will put out an update listing him as “probably,” “questionable,” or “doubtful” to return to the contest. On Friday, there was no update.
And for the cherry on top, when Sunday afternoon’s game came around, there he was. Porzingis was on the Celtics bench, taking in the team’s final game of the season, with a smile on his face.
Kristaps Porzingis is here and smiling pic.twitter.com/pqkm6reKWX
— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) April 13, 2025
It’s completely reasonable to worry about Porzingis. He has a long history of injuries and got hurt around this time last year (when he went down in Round 1 against the Miami Heat). But there were no indicators that that was the case this time around.
Paranoia constantly sweeps over Celtics Nation when it comes to injuries, especially when discussing the likes of Porzingis. But before panic sets in, just take a look at all the indicators.
Should there be a healthy cation regarding Porzingis’ injuries? Absolutely. Was this latest “scare” cause for serious concern (to this level)? No way.