Kristaps Porzingis admits he’s still not feeling quite himself

Still, when asked if tonight was the night he finally clicked back to the Kristaps Porzingis that helped lead Boston on its championship run, the 7-foot-3 center hesitated.

“Honestly, still getting there. I want to feel a little bit better,” Porzingis said. “I know I’m playing a little bit better, but my percentage is not perfect. Not feeling my shot perfectly. … I know I can play much better.

“… I just still feel like I need to save just a bit of energy. But, overall I’m getting there, and once I get there, you’ll know and I’ll let you know.”

Porzingis proved that when healthy, he is the perfect addition to Boston’s starting lineup. His ability to guard some of the league’s best bigs, while being able to score on multiple levels and stretch the floor, fits perfectly with Joe Mazzulla’s systems both offensively and defensively.

However, Porzingis has had some trouble staying on the floor for extended periods of time, as has been the case throughout his decade-long NBA career.

Over his limited sample size this season, there hasn’t been a particularly notable dropoff in his offensive game. He’s averaging 19.1 points per game, down one point from last season, and 7.1 rebounds per game which is only down by a narrow margin from his 7.2 per game in 2023-24.

A healthy Porzingis makes an already dangerous Boston unit even more difficult to stop, so the Celtics are no doubt excited for him to ramp back up to 100 percent in the coming weeks.