How Kristaps Porzingis reacted to Bam Adebayo hitting him in the groin
"I don't know if it was on purpose. I definitely got hit in there. It is what it is. We keep playing."
MIAMI, Fla. — Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis picked up his third foul during Sunday’s win against the Heat during a collision with Miami’s Bam Adebayo.
Porzingis wanted the referees to review the play. Porzingis said Adebayo hit him in the groin. Porzingis kicked his leg in the air and bent over in pain upon contact.
“You know, to be honest, I wanted them to challenge it,” Porzingis said. “Let’s see if we could get something. But, I guess the thought was that I did bump him first a little bit and if I could have stayed maybe we could have gotten an unsportsmanlike or something like that.
“But, to be honest, this kind of play happens and it’s probably going to happen much more in the playoffs, you know, all kinds of stuff is going to go down,” Porzingis added. “I don’t know if it was on purpose. I definitely got hit in there. It is what it is. We keep playing.”
Porzingis finished with 25 points on 8-14 shooting. He hit a pair of threes and caught back-to-back alley-oops.
Miami threw some zone looks at Boston on the defensive end, but the Celtics were able to consistently get Porzingis the ball at the free-throw line, allowing the 7-foot-3 center to shoot turnaround jumpers, drive, or create open looks for teammates.
“KP did a good job of executing there, and think that’s where our guys are continuing to understand how they positively impact each other,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Matchups are going to be a certain way because of the personnel that we have, and we attack it as a team.”
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