“After a good first half, we couldn’t play at our level in the second half of the game. We pushed things too much in the attack, we didn’t give each other space on the field. The opponents also played well in defense, but we also didn’t give ourselves more space and freedom in the attack, we didn’t play smart enough,” explained Porzingis, who had 19 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes in his second game back.
Although the performance of “Celts” has been fluctuating in the last few weeks, after which the panic-mongers got excited, it should be noted that the team, after the balance of wins and losses (26-10), continues the season in the schedule of the previous – champion – season and takes second place in the eastern zone. A different background is most likely created by the performance of competitors. League leaders Cavaliers (31-4) and Thunder (30-5) are already quite far ahead, and it is against them that Boston has experienced one failure this season.
Porzingis missed the first 17 games of the season after undergoing leg surgery in the summer, but returned to the field at the end of November well ahead of schedule. True, due to the ankle injury received in the Christmas game, the Latvian was forced to stay on the sidelines for another week, until he returned to the court on Saturday with 11 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes against the West Zone vice-leader Houston Rockets (109:86). “I felt good, although I still haven’t been in the best condition this season, and it’s not easy. But I’m happy to be healthy and work on feeling better and better with every game,” the basketball player described the situation. Meanwhile, the team’s head coach, Joe Mazula, highlighted Porzingis’ contribution to the defense: “It’s not easy for him, because he has to fit into the team’s already working mechanism, but even now his performance in the defense was impressive. It really helped us win.”
A series of four away games Celtics will finish on Wednesday in Denver in the duel of the champions of the last two seasons against Nuggets. Also, in the continuation of January and February until the All-Star break, the team is scheduled for several difficult road series, which will be a test when thinking about defending the championship title, as well as Porzingis’ readiness to enter the team game.
The player transfer window is also approaching, which has often brought major surprises to the NBA. Porzingis’s last name has also been mentioned at the level of rumours. For the scenario with swapping from Celtics It’s hard to believe right now, but different developments are possible in the US sports business environment.