Kristaps Porzingis will probably be solely an observer when his new workforce faces his outdated workforce for the primary time.
The Atlanta Hawks dominated Porzingis out for Saturday night time’s matchup in opposition to the Celtics with left Achilles tendonitis. It’s the fourth straight DNP for the previous Boston large man, who additionally missed time with a knee damage early this season and sat out 10 consecutive video games with an sickness final month.
Porzingis has appeared in simply 17 of Atlanta’s 43 video games this season, persevering with a pattern that continued over his two years with the Celtics. He missed a complete of 57 regular-season contests throughout his time in Boston and was restricted by accidents/sickness throughout each of his playoff runs with the C’s.
The Celtics traded Porzingis and a 2026 second-round draft choose to the Hawks this summer time in a three-team deal that netted them a 2031 second and veteran ahead Georges Niang, whom they later flipped to Utah. Extra importantly, the commerce allowed Boston to decrease its luxurious tax invoice and, together with Jrue Vacation’s commerce to Portland and Al Horford and Luke Kornet’s choices to depart in free company, escape the NBA’s extremely restrictive second apron.
Of these 4 departures, solely Kornet has been an on a regular basis contributor for his new membership, showing in 33 video games with 22 begins (together with one at TD Backyard final Saturday) for the San Antonio Spurs. Vacation missed almost two months with a calf pressure, and Horford has been out and in of Golden State’s lineup with sciatica and a toe concern, although each lately returned to the courtroom.
Boston will host Porzingis’ Hawks and Vacation’s Path Blazers in consecutive dwelling video games later this month (Jan. 26 and 28). Horford’s Warriors don’t go to Boston till March 18.
The Celtics additionally will probably be shorthanded for Saturday’s recreation in Atlanta. The workforce dominated out beginning guard Payton Pritchard with left ankle soreness after initially itemizing him as uncertain.
Pritchard, a first-year starter, leads the Celtics in assists with 5.4 per recreation and is the workforce’s third-leading scorer (16.6 factors per recreation) behind Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. He’s coming off his quietest outing of the season, scoring a season-low two factors on 1-of-4 taking pictures in 24 minutes in Thursday’s win over the Warmth.
With Pritchard unavailable for the primary time this season, third guard Anfernee Simons now could be the one Celtics participant who has appeared in each recreation in 2025-26. Simons starred off the bench against Miami, pouring in 39 factors to steer Boston again from a 19-point deficit.
Reserve Celtics wing Josh Minott was dominated out for the sixth straight recreation with a left ankle sprain. The Hawks additionally dominated out second-year ahead Zaccharie Risacher (knee) and listed All-Defensive guard Dyson Daniels as questionable (ankle).
