Celtics 
Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (right) received a cut to the forehead after being on the receiving end of an elbow from Magic center Goga Bitadze during the third quarter. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
By Conor Ryan
April 23, 2025
A Celtics team already playing without an injured Jayson Tatum had another scare on Wednesday against the Magic after Kristaps Porzingis was left bloodied on the parquet floor.
The Celtics’ big man had to leave Boston’s Game 2 matchup against the Orlando Magic in the third quarter after taking an elbow to his forehead, courtesy of Orlando’s Goga Bitadze.
Bitadze — who was ejected from a game against Boston in December after getting tangled up with Porzingis — was fighting for a loose ball with under a minute to go in the third quarter while he caught Porzingis clean in the head.
Bitadze’s elbow opened up a large gash in Porzingis’ forehead, prompting a smiling Porzingis to head down the tunnel at TD Garden.
After review, Bitadze was called for a flagrant 1 foul on the play, which called for Porzingis to return to the court to attempt his two free throws. The 29-year-old center/power forward — sporting a large bandage across his forehead and plenty of dried blood on the back of his head — made his way back on the parquet minutes later to a resounding cheer from the TD Garden crowd.
Porzingis sank one of his two free throws before immediately heading back down the tunnel for more treatment.
Despite the initial carnage of Porzingis’ injury, he was not ruled out for the remainder of the contest. He received five stitches before returning to Boston’s bench later in the fourth quarter, according to NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin.
He returned to the court with 7:15 to go in the fourth quarter — attempting one field goal and pulling down two rebounds — before exiting Boston’s eventual 109-100 Game 2 win with 44 seconds left in regulation.
As could be expected, Joe Mazzulla was impressed with Porzingis’ ability to push through his injury.
“I like his overall approach. … I like watching him bleed on the court,” Mazzulla said. “I think it’s important. He comes back in, and he does his job.”
With Tatum ruled out ahead of Wednesday’s game, Porzingis helped keep Boston afloat against Orlando with a strong performance. He finished the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks over 34 minutes — sinking 10 of 14 shots from the free-throw line.
According to Celtics stats expert Dick Lipe, Porzingis is the first Celtic to ever record at least 14 FTA, five offensive rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in a playoff game.
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