Celtics’ Kristaps Porziņģ expected to make season debut vs. Clippers

Kristaps Porzingis started 57 games for the Celtics last season and was key to their 2024 NBA title run.

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Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porziņģis is expected to make his season debut against the LA Clippers tonight (7:30 ET, NBA League Pass). Porziņģis is currently listed as likely to play.

Injury report for tonight vs. LA Clippers:

Al Horford (illness, non-Covid) – Doubtful
Luke Kornet (right hamstring tightness) – Doubtful
Kristaps Porzingis (left posterior tibial tendon surgery rehab) – POSSIBLE

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) 25 November 2024

Joe Mazzulla on whether Kristaps Porzingis is on a minutes restriction tonight:

“We’ll do what’s best for him. What’s best for the team.”

No update on if he starts or not. Mazzulla says he’s known for about a week or so that Porzingis was coming back today. pic.twitter.com/s05uzkfphT

— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) 25 November 2024

Porziņģis was expected to miss five to six months after undergoing surgery in June to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon. The former All-Star underwent surgery on June 27 and will be back in Boston’s lineup less than five months later.

Porziņģis suffered his injury in Game 2 of the NBA Finals and had hoped to postpone surgery until after the Finals and Latvia’s Olympic campaign. He ended up missing the 2024 Olympics, but has been working to recover for the 2024-25 season.

His last game was in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, when he logged 16 minutes, scored five points and collected one rebound in Boston’s 106-88 victory that clinched the Celtics’ 18th NBA title. Porzingis missed Game 3 with a sprained tendon in his left ankle. He was cleared to play a limited role in Game 4 but never warmed up during Boston’s 122-84 loss in Dallas.

Last season, Porziņģis averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 51.6% overall and 37.5% on 3-pointers in 57 games. Porzingis played in the Celtics’ first four playoff games of 2024, but then suffered a right calf injury that sidelined him until Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

The Celtics are No. 2 in the Eastern Conference (14-3) and is 2 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the no. 1.

Boston has played just three games (the fewest in the league) against the 14 teams currently with winning records, though it is responsible for the Minnesota Timberwolves (9-8 before Sunday) losing their spot in that group. The Celtics face the 11-7 Clippers and 17-1 Cavs this week, also just their third and fourth games against teams currently ranked in the top 10 defensively.

Information from The Associated Press and NBA.com’s John Schuhmann was used in this report.