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Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis dodges bullet with eye injury
"I was still pretty dizzy and my vision wasn’t perfect," Porzingis said.
Despite exiting Saturday’s win over the Pacers after getting poked in the eye by Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith, Kristaps Porzingis has been cleared to play on Monday night in Boston’s road rematch against Indianapolis.
Porzingis suffered the injury with 7:06 left in the first quarter on Saturday, with Nesmith catching him in the face while trying to swipe the ball out of his grasp. Porzingis was in plenty of pain, with the 7-foot-2 big man dropping to the court and eventually making his way to the locker room.
He returned to the game just a few minutes later, but was still experiencing discomfort and only played a few more minutes before getting taken out of Boston’s eventual 118-101 win for good. The 28-year-old only logged six minutes of action in the win, finishing with two points, three rebounds, and a steal.
“I was still pretty dizzy and my vision wasn’t perfect,” Porzingis told The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach on Monday. “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.”
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Porzingis told Himmelsbach that he suffered a scratched cornea on the play, but does not expect to wear any protective eyewear as a precautionary measure on Monday night.
Even with Porzingis limited on Saturday, Boston still pulled away with a double-digit win in its last game against Indy, with Jayson Tatum leading the way with 38 points. Al Horford stepped up in added reps (30 minutes), scoring 10 points and adding seven rebounds and eight assists.
“I think it shows that whoever’s out that we’re ready to step up,” Porzingis said of Saturday’s win. “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.”
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Porzingis’ return comes at an ideal time for Boston, as Tatum will not play on Monday while resting his left ankle.
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