Kristaps Porzingis injury update: Celtics forward exits with sprained ankle vs. Heat

Kristaps Porzingis’ injury marred an otherwise successful night for the Celtics.

Porzingis collided with Heat center Bam Adebayo’s foot midway through the third quarter of Thursday’s primetime game in Boston. Upon landing, Porzingis turned his left foot and collapsed to the floor in obvious pain before being assisted to the locker room.

What does this mean for Porzingis and the Celtics going forward? Here’s everything we know about his injury.

Kristaps Porzingis Injury Update
Porizingis suffered a sprained left ankle, according to the Celtics.

Here’s the play where Porzingis got injured. After being assisted to the locker room, Porzingis was deemed unlikely to return to the game. Up to that point, he had scored 19 points on 6-of-9 from the field.

Kristaps Porzingis rolled his ankle and needed some help getting to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/Skk21ehVE6

— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) January 26, 2024

Porzingis would later return to the bench without a walking boot, which boded well for his future prospects.

After the game, Porzingis stated that his ankle is “not too bad” despite feeling bad when he first went down.

How long is Kristaps Porzingis out?
The severity of Porzingis’ sprained ankle, which could be Grade 1, 2, or 3, will determine how much time he misses.

Porzingis has appeared in 33 of the Celtics’ first 45 games this season. He missed four games in late November because of a calf injury. Porzingis’ other absences were limited to one game each.

Here’s Boston’s upcoming schedule:

Date Opponent Time (ET) TV Channel
On January 27, the Clippers will play at 7 p.m., followed by the Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. on January 29.— Jan. 30 vs. Pacers at 7:30 p.m.TNT: Feb. 1 vs. Lakers, 7:30 p.m.TNT: Feb. 4 vs. Grizzlies, 6 p.m.—
Check back for updates on Porzingis’ status in the Celtics’ upcoming games.

Kristaps Porzingis statistics
19.5 points per game.
6.8 rebounds each game.
2.0 assist per game.
1.9 blocks per game.
0.7 steals per game.
1.6 turnovers per game.
52.5% field goal shooting
35.0% three-point shooting
83.7% free-throw shooting