BOSTON (AP) — With blood pouring from his forehead as he ran off the court, and a towel pressed against the wound as he headed to the locker room, Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis couldn't help but smile.
A little blood wasn't going to stop him.
“How can I not come back? ‘Oh, I have five stitches, I can’t play anymore?’ My legs are working. Of course I’m going back to be out there,” Porzingis said. “I like these moments.”
Porzingis briefly left Boston's Game 2 playoff win over Orlando on Wednesday night after taking an elbow from Goga Bitadze of the Magic in the third quarter. He returned to shoot a pair of free throws, got stitches to close the wound, and then was on the court in the closing minutes.
The 7-foot-2 Porzingis finished Boston's 109-100 victory with 20 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes.
“He came out and competed," said Jaylen Brown, who finished with 36 points and 10 rebounds. "And that’s what we want to see. Even through injury, even through blood everywhere. I think that fires KP up.”
Porzingis and Bitadze both went up for a rebound and Bitadze caught Porzingis in head on the way to ground with 55 seconds remaining in the third quarter. A video review by officials determined Bitadze had wound up and thrust his elbow into Porzingis, and he was assessed a flagrant foul.
During the review, Porzingis emerged from the locker room to a loud ovation, with dried blood streaking down the back of his head and a bandage on the center of his forehead. He connected on one of two free throws before leaving the floor again.
The Celtics led 81-71 entering the fourth quarter. Porzingis returned to the bench area midway through the period — no longer covered in blood — and he came back into the game with 7:15 left to even louder cheers from the TD Garden crowd.
He didn't score again, but had two rebounds down the stretch.
Earlier this month, Porzingis briefly left the Celtics' victory over the Phoenix Suns after getting cut on the bridge of his nose.
“I love my WWE moments,” Porzingis said. “We’re not going to get let anybody punk us."
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Kyle Hightower, The Associated Press
