The Boston Celtics are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, and center Kristaps Porzingis is a big reason why. However, the 2018 All-Star has a lengthy injury history, so Boston is being as careful as possible with his health.

On Friday night, Porzingis was sidelined against the Orlando Magic because of left calf tightness. Fortunately, the Celtics played great in his absence, crushing the Magic 128-111 on the second leg of a back-to-back.

On Sunday afternoon, Porzingis returned to action for Boston's rematch with Orlando. He logged 28 minutes, 15 points, and 10 rebounds during the 114-97 win, marking the Celtics' fifth-straight victory. When asked after the game about his injury status, he revealed that he could have been out there on Friday, but Boston's medical staff wanted to be extra careful, per Jay King of The Athletic.

“Kristaps Porzingis said he feels like he could have played the other night,” King wrote on X. “But the medical staff held him out of the back to back as a precaution.”

While having Porzingis in the starting lineup obviously makes the Celtics better, Boston's wariness makes sense. The Latvian big man suffered major injuries during his stints with the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, and a serious injury would significantly sour the Celtics' championship aspirations.

As of now, Boston is 20-5 with the best record in the entire NBA. And while there are still over 50 regular season games remaining, the Celtics want to make sure Kristaps Porzingis is injury-free and in the lineup for the long run.

It'll be worth monitoring how the medical staff approaches Boston's upcoming four-game road trip in California, as the C's play the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night and then the Sacramento Kings the following evening.