In the Celtics 113-96 loss to the Magic, Orlando was able to bully ball Boston, turning an eight-point deficit into a blowout. And to add injury to insult, Kristaps Porzingis left the game midway through the third quarter and did not return.
Porzingis’ lower body injury history might cause the medical staff to air on the side of caution. In 2018, his All-Star season was cut short by an ACL tear. Two years later, he tore his meniscus as a Dallas Maverick. Most recently, he had to decline a chance to represent Latvia in the FIBA World Cup with a bout of plantar fasciitis over the summer.