On Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics suffered just their second loss since the beginning of March at the hands of the Miami Heat. The team was shorthanded as Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Jrue Holiday all missed the contest. Regardless, the Celtics will shift their focus as they prepare to host the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
The Celtics and Suns have met up once so far this season on March 26 in a game that culminated in a 30-point victory for Boston. With only a handful of games left on their schedule, the Celtics are sitting comfortably as the No. 2 seed in the East and will go into the playoffs as a top-three seed for the fourth consecutive year.
Ahead of their game against Phoenix, the Celtics made a notable announcement regarding Porzingis that should get fans excited.
Before missing the Celtics’ game against the Heat, Porzingis appeared in seven of the team’s last eight games. Fortunately for the Celtics, Porzingis is likely going to make his on-court return following a one-game absence as he is not listed on the team’s injury report ahead of Friday’s game.
In 39 games this season, the Latvian native is averaging 19.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks. Furthermore, he is shooting 48.7% from the field and 40.4% from beyond the arc.
When healthy and available, Porzingis is a game-changer for the Celtics. He provides a lot of value on both sides of the ball and completely changes the team’s dynamic. For the Celtics to repeat as champions this year, it is crucial that Porzingis stays healthy.
