Boston Celtics star center Kristaps Porzingis made his return to the lineup on Saturday after a long absence due to a strange, lingering illness. It seemed like Porzingis wouldn't return as he continued to have setbacks during the process.
But his return provided a massive spark for the Celtics and helped them get a big win over the Brooklyn Nets. The center put up 24 points, two rebounds, and one block in his return to the court.
After the fact, Porzingis provided more details about the strange illness that seemed to take over everything.
“It was extremely, extremely frustrating not knowing what I had.. I haven’t been this sick, probably ever, in my life...After each workout, I was — boom, big crash. Really fatigued. Not normal.”
Porzingis also did admit that he almost didn't play in the game against Brooklyn either. But he decided that he felt well enough to give it a go.
“Honestly, I was not feeling perfect today, either, but I got in the mindset of I want to play and start to get back,” Porziņģis said. “Honestly, as the game went on, I felt better and better. I kind of had a little crash in the third, but I pushed through it and in the fourth had a great fourth. Yeah, it was a close one, but I’m happy we got it done.”
Boston is happy that Porzingis did suit up for this game as they needed his contributions. The Celtics lost star forward Jaylen Brown to injury mid-way through the game and the Nets made it a close contest.
With Porzingis back in the mix, the Celtics can move forward and resume their season. The big man is a massive part of their overall group and his absence has weighed heavy on the team.
Boston is off for two days, allowing for more rest that the players seem to need. They will now regroup and get ready for the rematch with the Nets on Tuesday.
