Porzingis (calf ) out at least a week; no serious damage

The Celtics are going to get an early taste of life without Kristaps Porzingis. While an MRI on his left calf did not reveal serious damage, Porzingis will miss at least a week with a strain. Boston faced the big front line of the Hawks on Sunday, then have Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic and Andre

Drummond on Tuesday, and finally Joel Embiid and the 76ers on Friday. “I think it’s a matter of how he feels, how it feels and people will look at it again after a week or so,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.

Porzingis is not only the Celtics’ third-leading scorer but the team’s best rim protector. And the Magic took full advantage Friday by attacking the rim with Porzingis out. They also isolated Celtics backup center Luke Kornet on defense and used their versatile forwards to great success. Mazzulla said the Celtics will remain defensively sound with Kornet and Al Horford in the paint.

“We created an identity last year of playing small with our shift activity and our ball pressure, our individual defense,” Mazzulla said. “So regardless if there’s a [center] on the perimeter or not, we just have to continue to take pride in our individual defense. I think it comes from our shift activity, knowing who you’re guarding. Can you help stop the ball and get out to a shooter?

“It’s going to be different without [Porzingis] but Al, Luke have done a great job. We’ve had good defenses with those guys for numerous years now. It may look a little different, but everyone’s got to be a little bit better.”

Horford said the Celtics have to improve defensively.

“We have to do a better job, a way to be able to help more with guys,” he said. “We take pride defending oneon-one, but we have to find ways to use our speed and use other things to be better in those areas. We can’t count on [Porzingis] right now so other guys have to step up. All of us have to step up a little more.”

Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday missed his second consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. He again worked out before the game with plans on playing but was scratched about 90 minutes prior to tipoff. Mazzulla made the stunning decision to start Dalano

Banton instead of Sam Hauser alongside Derrick White in the backcourt. Banton registered 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 fouls in 19 minutes in the Celtics’ 113-103 win.

Not worth the risk

Mazzulla said he did not want to risk injury Friday by playing his starters deep into a game that had already been decided just to score points for In-Season Tournament purposes. The Magic scored 7 points in the final 63 seconds to beat the Celtics by 17 points. Point differential is a tiebreaker in determining seedings.

Paolo Banchero scored on a jumper with 37.2 seconds left and Franz Wagner scored Orlando’s final points with 9.2 left. Mazzulla cleared his bench and said he didn’t want to play his starters, especially with Porzingis and Holiday already out and White nursing a sore left forearm.

“I thought about it but at the end of the game Jrue was out and we had lost Porzingis,” Mazzulla said. “I wasn’t willing to risk point differential for the sake of the long-term health of our team. It’s the decision that I made there. But it’s obviously something that you process. We were aware of it.”

Horford said he didn’t see the Magic running up the score, but understood why they were trying to score in the final seconds.

“To us it’s another regular-season game,” Horford said. “They’re doing what they have to do. I guess after the game you start asking questions because our goal was to win every game, period. Doesn’t matter if it’s In-Season [Tournament] or not. Then you start figuring out if there’s an actual chance for us to be able to still make it.

“They’re scoring over our defense, so if you can score, go ahead and do it.”

Walsh adds depth

The Celtics recalled rookie Jordan

Walsh from G League Maine to provide another bench option. Walsh averaged 15 points and 6.2 rebounds in six games for Maine, but did not play Sunday . . . The Hawks said key swingman Jalen Johnson will miss at least three weeks with a fractured wrist. Johnson played key minutes in the playoff series against the Celtics last season.