Porzingis has love for D.C.
WASHINGTON — For Kristaps Porzingis, Washington was more than a pit stop in his well-traveled career. He cherished playing for the Wizards and the stint was instrumental in resurrecting his career.
Porzingis played parts of two seasons with the Wizards, including last season, when he averaged a career-high 23.2 points in 65 games. Porzingis avoided major injury, proving capable of being a reliable piece on a contending team. That encouraged Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens to acquire him in July. Monday was his first game back at Capital One Arena, and he was appreciative of his time here.
“Good emotions, honestly,” Porzingis said before scoring 15 points with six rebounds in just 24 minutes during a 126-107 victory. He hit 7 of 9 shots. “I fell in love with this city, this place in a very short time. A lot of good relationships that I have here. The players, the staff here, how everybody treated me, obviously. I felt at home here and enjoyed my time.”
Porzingis is off to a positive start for the Celtics, scoring 30 points in his Boston debut, including a sealing 3-pointer at Madison Square Garden. He managed 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals Friday against the Miami Heat despite dealing with foul trouble.
“It’s real easy to play with these guys,” Porzingis said. “Even when we mess something up, it’s like we keep going. We don’t stop the music and we keep freestyling because everybody is so good; we just figure it out on the floor. The most difficult part [of adjustment] I would say is the defensive coverages. It has different names. You have to reprogram yourself, but it’s pretty close to where I need to be. We just need more time on the court.”
Rotation, rotation
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stuck with the same starting lineup for Monday’s game and then wondered aloud why he wouldn’t continue with that five when asked prior to tip. That means Al Horford may become a permanent fixture off the bench as long as the Celtics are flourishing and he becomes comfortable with that role.
As for the rest of the second unit, Mazzulla has mixed and matched depending on matchups. He said Horford, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser are mainstays with the second unit while other roles could vary. Luke Kornet played in the opener but didn’t play Friday against Miami. Oshae Brissett sat the opener but played key minutes against the Heat.
With the Celtics building a 10875 lead after three quarters against the Wizards, Lamar Stevens, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Dalano Banton saw their first playing time of the season.
“The other guys, it depends on matchups, it depends on situations,” Mazzulla said. “Credit to them for their open-mindedness, their approach, knowing what their role is and knowing there is a value in it. If you have a group of guys that have an understanding that there are a lot of moments in the season that we’ll need you to be your best, that gives us a deep team and gives us a lot of options.”
Bringing focus
The Celtics have been plagued with letdowns against lesser opponents over the years and Monday was a good test of their focus against a Washington club picked to return to the NBA Draft lottery. The Wizards are in rebuild mode but were good enough to hammer the Grizzlies for their first win Saturday.
“Obviously I’d like to see how we respond to a game that’s not a road opener against the Knicks and a home opener against a team [Miami] that we’re very familiar with,” Mazzulla said before the win.
Queta injured
The Celtics reported their first injury of the season as Queta, a center on a two-way contract, was listed as out with left foot soreness. Other than losing two-way guard Jay Scrubb to a torn ACL, the Celtics have been healthy throughout training camp and the early season . . . The Wizards were without defensive-minded center Daniel Gafford, who sprained his ankle in Saturday’s win. Former Celtic Danilo Gallinari is on the Wizards and scored 3 points in 16 minutes, giving him a 9.7 points per game average in just under 14 minutes per contest. Gallinari was a Celtic last season but never played a game after suffering a torn ACL in August 2022. He was part of the three-team trade that brought Porzingis to Boston . . . . The NBA released 30 specially designed floors that every team will use for home in-season tournament games. TD Garden will feature a mostly green design with a wooden-colored stripe down the middle of the floor. The Celtics will use the floor on Nov. 10 against the Brooklyn Nets and Nov. 28 against the Chicago Bulls.