Hawks' Kristaps Porzingis Ruled Out vs Celtics, Will Have to Wait for First Game Against Former Team.
Boston's 7-foot-2 center will sit out Saturday's matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to left Achilles tendinitis, a diagnosis that is exacerbating his lingering calf injury.
Porzingis, who played for the Boston Celtics from 2023-25 before being traded to the Hawks in July last year, has struggled with injuries during his stint with Atlanta. He missed nearly every game in December except for two due to an illness unrelated to Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), while also missing multiple games in January because of his Achilles injury.
Despite these setbacks, Porzingis remains a productive player on the court when he's healthy, averaging 17.1 points per game this season. He's shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from beyond the arc, both down slightly from last season.
For now, it looks like Porzingis will have to wait for his first game against the Celtics as a Hawk. Boston will visit Atlanta two times in 2026, with the second matchup taking place on March 27. The Celtics, meanwhile, will travel to play the Hawks again on March 30.
In related news, forward Josh Minott will sit out Saturday's game due to a left ankle sprain. Guard Payton Pritchard is also questionable with a left ankle soreness.
Boston's 7-foot-2 center will sit out Saturday's matchup against the Atlanta Hawks due to left Achilles tendinitis, a diagnosis that is exacerbating his lingering calf injury.
Porzingis, who played for the Boston Celtics from 2023-25 before being traded to the Hawks in July last year, has struggled with injuries during his stint with Atlanta. He missed nearly every game in December except for two due to an illness unrelated to Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), while also missing multiple games in January because of his Achilles injury.
Despite these setbacks, Porzingis remains a productive player on the court when he's healthy, averaging 17.1 points per game this season. He's shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from beyond the arc, both down slightly from last season.
For now, it looks like Porzingis will have to wait for his first game against the Celtics as a Hawk. Boston will visit Atlanta two times in 2026, with the second matchup taking place on March 27. The Celtics, meanwhile, will travel to play the Hawks again on March 30.
In related news, forward Josh Minott will sit out Saturday's game due to a left ankle sprain. Guard Payton Pritchard is also questionable with a left ankle soreness.
. I know he's been dealing with some injuries and it's crazy how it can affect his game when he's healthy, but still 17.1 points per game is no joke 
! I'm curious to see him take on Boston again in March, though - those two teams always bring the heat 
. On a related note, hope Josh Minott recovers quickly from that ankle sprain, and fingers crossed Payton Pritchard can get his ankle feeling better 
... like he doesn't have enough drama going on already. First, he gets traded to the Hawks, and now he's got another Achilles injury to deal with 
. I guess it's just his luck that Boston is still on the schedule for him in 2026 - two whole games worth of torture 
. On a positive note, I'm sure his teammates are super excited to have him back on the court... or at least, I hope they are 
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Can't believe Porzingis gets ruled out AGAIN! Like, he was just starting to get back into form and now this... 
He'll have to wait until next year to face his old team, that's just cruel. I mean, I know injuries are a part of the game, but it feels like Porzingis has been carrying around this calf injury for ages now... 
but his injuries are killing him rn and i feel bad for him he played for the celtics from 2023-25 and now hes finally back with atlanta but gotta wait till march next year to face his old team 
that's just soooo long i hope he gets healed soon! 
. I mean, 17.1 points per game is still pretty sweet, but you can tell he's not getting the same level of usage as he did with the Celtics. 
Hopefully, a few more weeks off won't set him back too much for when Boston comes to Atlanta in March... maybe he'll be all guns blazing then 
. I remember watching him light up the scoreboard against some tough teams. Now he'll have to wait until March 27th to face his old team again... it's gonna be a wild ride when those two teams meet again 
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he's still got that fire in his belly and when he plays, man... it's like magic 
. But on the flip side, it's not fair that he has to wait till next year for their first matchup 
but honestly, if Porzingis is out again, I don't think we can rely on him to dominate 
. I mean, what's up with his injuries anyway? Is he cursed or something? 
i'm sure he'll be back to his old self in no time, just gotta keep him healthy