Kristaps Porzingis injury: Celtics center leaves 76ers game with ankle pain

Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis left Wednesday’s game against the 76ers with left ankle soreness. The team considered his return doubtful. Porzingis didn’t come out of the locker room with his teammates after halftime. In his place, Luke Kornet started at center.

Porzingis appeared to have tweaked his ankle in the first minute of the Celtics Christmas game against the 76ers. He appeared to wince in pain for a few seconds after twisting his ankle on an offensive possession, but tried to shake off the injury. Porzingis played well despite the early inconvenience, scoring nine points and providing three assists in 13 first-half minutes. He also played the final 34 seconds of the first half before the team announced his injury at halftime.

It’s the second injury for Porzingis in the last two weeks after he underwent offseason leg surgery. Porzingis left last Sunday’s Wizards game early due to heel soreness, but was able to return after three days off.

The Celtics big man appeared in 10 games since his season debut in November, averaging 19.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game over 28.6 minutes per game. He played a season-high 37 minutes in the Celtics’ loss to the Magic on Monday night in Orlando.

With Porzingis unavailable in the second half, Neemias Queta saw action off the bench, while Kornet played alongside Al Horford in Boston Center’s starting unit early in the third quarter. Boston was already without Jrue Holiday for the game against the 76ers due to a right shoulder injury.

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