Fans of the Boston Celtics concerned about the recent stretch of middling play from their favorite team as the Celtics await the return of injured center Kristaps Porzingis have some good news: the Boston big man will likely return to action against the team that drafted him in 2015, the New York Knicks, on Friday evening per multiple reports.
Porzingis has been playing it safe with a minor calf strain he picked up against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 24 in the Celtics’ sole loss in the group play stage of the NBA’s new in-season tournament (IST), with the ball club having gone 4-1 in his absence.
Boston has since been eliminated from the knockout play stage of the IST with a loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday night, putting the Celtics in position to play New York this Friday.
Celtics Lab 230: No Vegas for Boston, but how can the Celtics get better from what they learned? https://t.co/U0bNhPHPqp pic.twitter.com/Pcjfugr1yk
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 5, 2023
That’ll give the Latvian big man additional time to rest, but Porzingis was a full participant in practice on Wednesday soon after posting (in Latvian via NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg) that he will be “lined up” for Boston’s next tilt, adding to the expectation he will return to the court Vs. the Knicks.
Speaking at the Celtics’ practice facility on Wednesday via CLNS Media, Porzingis related that his calf “is good” and he got “a good session in up-and-down, went through the full practice and (is) feeling good, saying he believes he will play on Friday.
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