The Boston Celtics topped the Miami Heat on Thursday but star Kristaps Porzingis exited the game with a sprained ankle.
Porzingis suffered the left ankle sprain while contesting a shot in the third quarter and limped to the locker room. He was immediately listed doubtful to return, but did come back to the Celtics' bench at the start of the final frame. The big man was eventually ruled out, finishing with 19 points and four rebounds.
Porzingis is also set to miss Saturday's Celtics game against the Los Angeles Clippers, but Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla did share a promising update, according to Souichi Terada of Mass Live News:
“Joe Mazzulla says he doesn’t expect Kristaps Porzingis to be out long with his ankle sprain.”
The Celtics are hoping that their star big man can be back on the floor soon at full strength. Porzingis is having a very productive season in Boston, putting up more than 19 points a game with just under seven rebounds per game.
Porzingis has been battling injuries as of late. He was able to play in the January 25th game against the new look Heat, but he had missed the game before that against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston is currently first in the NBA Eastern Conference standings sitting at 35-10 on the season – four games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks who just underwent a coaching change. The Celtics have also won seven of their last 10 games despite Porzingis dealing with the left ankle injury.