Bloodied Kristaps Porzingis smiles his way to the medical room in Game 2 battle against Magic

Latvian star Kristaps Porzingis has managed to stay healthy this season as the Boston Celtics look to win back-to-back NBA titles.

Bloodied Kristaps Porzingis smiles his way to the medical room in Game 2 battle against Magic

Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis was smiling with blood pouring out of his forehead

The Boston Celtics welcomed Game 2 of their first-round playoff series, knowing they could increase their lead. The defending champions have a full, healthy roster, unlike last year, when star big man Kristaps Porzingis was nursing an injury.

Last season, Porzingis returned in time to star in the first two games of the NBA Finals. His performances in game one made him a legend in Boston. This season, he has managed to stay in good shape and has not missed that many games to worry the Celtics fanbase.

They need the big man to stay in the game, as he has to help contain the multiple near-seven-footers on the Orlando Magic roster. The game was going to be physical as the away team would try and fight for momentum before heading back home.

Late in the third quarter, the Celtics were up by eleven points. This deficit was within reach of the Magic, and they were battling hard. While trying to fight for a rebound, Magic center Goga Bitadze tried to use his left hand to tap the ball back to his teammate.

But that swing ended up hitting Kristaps Porzingis in the head. Bitadze’s elbow caught his fellow European in his forehead, leading to a big cut. Once the Latvian star was back up on his feet, blood almost covered his entire forehead in a cross pattern.

But what stunned both the crowd inside TD Garden and fans across the globe was how Porzingis had a beaming smile on his face as he made his way to the medical room. A while later, he came out of the tunnel with that same smile plastered on his face to a rousing round of applause.

Porzingis and the Celtics win Game 2

The Orlando Magic have five players on their roster who are 6′ 10″ and above. Three of them are always on the floor to take advantage of mismatches. This creates a major problem for any opposition that wants to drive to the inside to score.

On the other hand, their size allows them to create a mismatch against opposition defenders. There is a reason why the Magic’s top three scorers tonight were three of those starting big men. That is probably why Kristaps Porzingis did not want to retire for the night.

He had to come back to help Al Horford contain those 6′ 10″ big men. This saw the Magic offense focus on just those three big men.

Their guards struggled, and they lost Game 2 of this first-round playoff series 100-109. The Boston Celtics will now go on the road knowing they have both the momentum as well as the series lead. They managed to get to this point even without having leading superstar Jayson Tatum in the lineup.

Jayson Tatum’s injury kept him out of Game 2

The Boston Celtics have one of the deepest rosters in the league. Other than having five possible All-Stars in their starting lineup, they also have a deep bench. They even had the luxury to select another three-point specialist in this season’s draft.

But in the playoffs, not all of them get to play. All playoff teams bring their rotation down to 8 or 9 players. Tonight, the Celtics were without leading superstar Jayson Tatum. The injury he suffered from a hard foul kept him out of Game 2.

He was sitting on the sidelines with his teammates, with his right wrist bandaged. The Celtics have a deep enough roster not to require a bandaged Tatum to play. He can rest, recover, and possibly come back to play games 3 and 4 on the road.

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