Kristaps Porzingis defends melee in Celtics’ physical loss to Magic

Kristaps Porzingis had an interesting night in Orlando as the Celtics blew a 15-point halftime lead in a loss to the Magic.

Porzingis attempted 14 free throws and shot just 2 of 10 from the field. The Celtics big man had his most attention-grabbing moment of the night as Boston rallied from a second-half deficit.

Porzingis got into a verbal scuffle with Orlando’s Jalen Suggs before Goga Bitadze intervened with a punch to the center’s neck, resulting in two technical fouls and an ejection for the Orlando participant.

“I was just competing and started talking a little bit,” Porzingis told reporters, according to NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “We stood face to face and just kept talking. Bitadze came from the side. He kind of pushed me. Of course I reacted to it. Just normal, a bit of NBA action. Nothing serious, just competition. It’s good that no one from our side was thrown out.”

Monday’s game, a physical battle between two strong Eastern Conference teams, was a great reminder of how NBA competition can pressure the Celtics.

“100%,” Porzingis said. “I think we could have adjusted a little earlier knowing there wasn’t a lot of calls. We can use that too.”

“They increased the physicality,” Porzingis added. “We didn’t execute. We knew they would come out and run. To be honest, they played well.”

The Celtics return to action on Wednesday night for their Christmas Day Eastern Conference clash with the Philadelphia 76ers.