Tatum sits, but Porzingis plays
INDIANAPOLIS — The Celtics were shorthanded in their rematch against the Pacers on Monday night, with Jayson
Tatum sitting out to rest his left ankle and Sam Hauser sidelined with a shoulder impingement.
But the team welcomed back Kristaps Porzingis, who missed most of Saturday’s win after being poked in the eye by former Celtics wing Aaron Nesmith.
The incident occurred with 7:06 left in the opening quarter, when Porzingis blocked Nesmith’s shot in the paint and gathered the loose ball. Nesmith swiped at it, catching Porzingis in the eye. Porzingis went to the ground and appeared to be in quite a bit of pain.
He briefly returned to the game a few minutes later before heading to the locker room for the rest of the half. Porzingis completed an on-court workout at halftime, but it was decided his night was over.
“I was still pretty dizzy and my vision wasn’t perfect,” he said. “The vision part was OK, but me not feeling well was what affected me. Even when I came back right away, I felt like I just got off a boat in Mykonos. I was not feeling good at all. But I’m feeling good today.”
Porzingis, averaging 19.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game after his 19 and 6 in Monday’s 133-131 loss, said although he was poked in the eye, his cornea was not scratched. He dealt with some swelling on Sunday but felt fine by Monday, and did not intend wear protective eyewear.
He was pleased to see the Celtics roll Saturday without him.
“I think it shows that whoever’s out that we’re ready to step up,” he said. “And some nights it’s somebody else, but we’re just able to kind of hold it down for that game. That just shows we have the depth and the guys who can step in and take those minutes and be effective out there. So I really like the character and the personality of this team.”
Ankle injury management
The Celtics continue to be cautious with Tatum, who sprained his left ankle in the Dec. 19 loss to the Warriors. He also sat out the Dec. 29 game against the Raptors.
“He had a severe ankle sprain, so I think just trying to manage that, especially with the five [games] in seven nights,” coach Joe
Mazzulla said. “He chose to play on that. It’s not rest; it’s ankle injury management. So we’re just trying to make sure that it continues to heal the way it needs to.”
Mazzulla said Hauser is dealing with some mild soreness and should be cleared to play against the Timberwolves on Wednesday.
Smooth at the stripe
Center Luke Kornet insists the Celtics were not up to anything sneaky when Hauser initially went to the foul line instead of him when Kornet was fouled late in the third quarter Saturday night.
With 48 seconds left, Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson committed a foul going for an offensive rebound over Kornet. The Celtics were in the penalty, and as they walked to the other end, Hauser stepped to the free throw line and was prepared to shoot before a referee stepped in.
“To be honest, at first I kind of wasn’t paying attention and I didn’t even realize we were in the bonus,” Kornet said. “So I was just kind of walking to the other end and didn’t realize we were all walking to a free throw. So I just kind of stood on the side. Then I think someone told Sam, ‘You take it.’
“I just kind of zoned out. Then right as the ref was about to give him the ball, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s supposed to be me up there.’ But then it’s like, ‘Whatever.’ So he ended up almost shooting them. But it was just kind of not paying attention, really.”
The Celtics had missed seven foul shots in the quarter, including rare 0 for 2 trips by Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford.
When Kornet ended the drought, he looked at the bench and jokingly pointed to his wrist, making the “ice in my veins” gesture. His teammates erupted.
“I don’t know,” Kornet said. “I see people do it when they make cool, impressive shots. And since the free throw in that context was a cool and impressive shot, I felt like it was suitable.”