BOSTON — Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis has been viewed as a glass cannon for much of his NBA career. In Game 2 of the Celtics' first-round series with the Orlando Magic, Porzingis defied that pesky label and endured blow after blow to help Boston to a 109-100 win on Wednesday night.
When Porzingis is healthy, he can wreak havoc on opposing teams thanks to his size and elite shotmaking that is unmatched by many of his 7-foot peers. Unfortunately, his health isn't always a given. The Latvian big man has played over 60 games in a regular season just once in the last eight years. And during the 2024-25 campaign, he missed 40 contests due to a litany of issues, including a mysterious illness.
It seemed like another troublesome injury could sideline the second-year Celtic on Wednesday, as Magic center Goga Bitadze sent him to the floor with a forceful elbow to the head late in the third quarter. Blood was pouring out from Porzingis' wound, and after splitting a pair of free throws, he exited the game and headed to the locker room.
But Porzingis didn't walk with a scowl. He was beaming as blood covered his face. He told the media that he wasn't going to let that substantial hit, which resulted in five stitches, keep him sidelined.
“My legs work,” Porzingis joked. “Everything works. So, of course I'm gonna be out there.”
Despite the blood, Kristaps Porzingis is all smiles despite taking an elbow to the head 😁 pic.twitter.com/G2Axupvw0G
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 24, 2025
Porzingis' bloody affair was just one instance of intense physicality in Game 2. During the second quarter, Magic wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope collided with Celtics center Al Horford, putting both players on the ground and in the middle of a scuffle. Intentional or not, Boston didn't appreciate the foul, especially following Caldwell-Pope's flagrant-1 in Game 1 that led to Celtics star Jayson Tatum hurting his wrist.
Tatum was inactive because of his untimely injury, yet he still got the last laugh. Caldwell-Pope notched just three points in 35 minutes, missing all six of his attempts from deep. Porzingis also failed to connect on each of his five attempts from beyond the arc, but he still finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, and a game-high plus-minus rating of +15.
How the Celtics answered the Magic's physicality
Like the rest of the Celtics, Porzingis refused to be daunted by Orlando's physical play.
“I mean, we're gonna be us,” Porzingis stated. “We're not gonna let anybody punk us. We expect teams to be doing this kind of stuff to get in our heads, to try to provoke us, to try to maybe get some reaction out of us, some technical.”
The Magic are clear underdogs against the reigning champs, so they're eager to level the playing field by mucking up the game. Porzingis and company understand this, and they're hungry to respond.
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“We weren't surprised, but we're just not gonna take it,” he said of Orlando's physicality. “So we're gonna hit them right back.”
Since Porzingis is such a threat at any spot on the court, the Magic had to resort to frequently fouling him. The 29-year-old attempted 14 free throws, just two away from tying a career-high.
“[He] battled all night,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown replied when asked about Porzingis' performance. “He had physical possessions, timely baskets…He came out and competed, and that's what we wanna see. Even through injury, even through blood everywhere — I feel like that fires KP up even more.”
Brown had an impressive outing himself, scoring a game-high 36 points – the third-most of his playoff career – while shooting an efficient 63.2% from the field. Although he didn't take an elbow to the face, the reigning NBA Finals MVP emphasized that the Celtics won't back down from the Magic's bullish style of play.
“We get up for that challenge,” Brown revealed. “We gotta stay in the fight. The road is gonna be even more of a test.”
The Celtics will now head south for Games 3 and 4 with a 2-0 series lead. Boston posted its best road record in franchise history during the regular season; however, it hasn't prevailed in Orlando since October of 2022.
Taking down the Magic at the Kia Center on Friday and Sunday, potentially without Tatum, could be challenging for the Celtics. No matter what happens, though, Porzingis is going to continue to smile as long as he's out on the court and able to compete.
“In my career, I've had a lot of ups,” he began. “But I've had a lot of downs, and I've been out with injuries. So when I have the actual moment to play basketball, I try to enjoy it to the fullest. You know? Smiling, I'm having fun.”
