Kristaps Porzingis' injury put a damper on the Boston Celtics' 112-98 win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.
The Celtics big man left for the locker room during the second quarter and did not return due to what the team labeled "right heel pain." It's unclear when Porzingis suffered the injury, but the sight of him hobbling into the tunnel undoubtedly left C's fans feeling uneasy.
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Porzingis' postgame comments, however, should help them breathe a sigh of relief. He downplayed the issue and clarified that he stayed out of the game due to precautionary reasons.
"I banged up my heel a little bit in the first quarter early," he told reporters after the game. "Not early, but like, in the first quarter at some point. I kept on playing. It's nothing major, honestly. More like a precautionary thing.
"In the second (quarter), when it started, it was pretty sensitive so I told the medical stuff and they just pulled me out of the game. I don't think it's anything major."
Porzingis was asked whether he felt any pain during a previous game.
"I think it happened this game," he answered. "One of the post-ups or rebounds or one of the lobs. I'm not even sure where. But I've had something similar in the past. ...
"I think I should be fine. We have three, four days. We'll see."
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While Porzingis and the C's will benefit from a three-day break before hosting the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, it couldn't hurt to give the 7-foot-2 star some time off. Boston is 16-3 without Porzingis this season and keeping him healthy for the playoffs is priority No. 1.
Either way, Porzingis' explanation is encouraging. If he feels like the injury is a non-concern, it'll be tough for coach Joe Mazzulla to keep him off the TD Garden parquet on Thursday.
Tip-off for Celtics-Bulls is set for 7:30 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live starting at 6:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Boston.