Is Kristaps Porzingis Playing vs Timberwolves? Final Celtics Injury Report

The starting center has missed the last few games with an ankle sprain.

Dec 23, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) is guarded by Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) in the first quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics are trying to get back on track. They finished the month of December just 3-4 in their final seven games. Because of their slide, the Celtics are now just a half-game ahead of the Knicks for the second seed in the Eastern Conference standings.

Part of the problem for the Celtics has been the number of games missed due to injury. The starting lineup has been most beset by the injury bug. Jrue Holiday recently missed five of the last 14 games due to injury. That's nothing compared to the number of games that Kristaps Porzingis has missed this year.

Porzingis has always been injury-prone, but this season has brought it to a whole new level. He has played in just 11 games this season because of various injuries. He hasn't played since Christmas because of an ankle sprain that he suffered during that game against the 76ers.

Boston is so good that they can survive not having Porzingis for a while. Their mindset is to make sure that he is healthy for the playoffs. With that being said, he needs to be on the court so he doesn't get rusty. So far this season, Porzingis is averaging 18.3 points per game, but is shooting the second-worst 3-point percentage of his career. He's shooting just 32.8 percent from deep.

The Celtics released their injury report ahead of their matchup against the Timberwolves. This is a game that Boston needs to win in order to get back on track. Porzingis was listed as questionable for the game due to his left ankle sprain. He will be out in the game.

Injury Report update:

Jaylen Brown (right shoulder strain) - OUT
Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle sprain) - OUT https://t.co/WSX6MIYJ8p

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 2, 2025

Boston starts an incredibly tough road trip with this game against Minnesota. They travel to Minnesota, Houston, Oklahoma City, and Denver in each of the next four games. They are in danger of falling down the East standings if they aren't able to pick up at least three wins in that stretch.

The Celtics are one of the few teams who might not be active at the trade deadline, but they could look at adding some frontcourt depth in order to protect Porzingis. If they want to get more insurance for him missing more games, that would be the one move they could make closer to the deadline.

Boston is still perhaps the best team in the NBA when they are healthy.

More Celtics news: Derrick White Explains How He Rebuilt Confidence Amid Shooting Issues