Celtics' Kristaps Porziņģis to Be Reevaluated in 1 Week Amid Calf Injury

The Boston Celtics will be missing a key member of their starting lineup for a bit.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said before Sunday's game against the Atlanta Hawks, per ESPN, that big man Kristaps Porziņģis will be out with a left calf strain and he will be reevaluated "after a week or so."

Porziņģis suffered the injury in Friday's in-season tournament loss to the Orlando Magic. He played just 22 minutes and scored nine points in the 113-96 loss, which dropped the Celtics to 12-4 this season.

Porziņģis, who was acquired from the Washington Wizards in a blockbuster trade this past offseason, had been in the midst of a strong campaign in his first year in Boston. Through 15 games, he's averaging 18.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. He's shooting a career-high 54.7 percent from the field, the first time in his eight NBA seasons that he's shot over 50 percent.

Porziņģis has a lengthy injury history, but Boston was surely hoping he'd be able to stay healthy after his impressive showing last season in Washington. He appeared in 65 games for the Wizards, his first time playing in that many games in a season since his second year in the NBA in 2016-17.

To make matters worse for the Celtics, they will be without starting point guard Jrue Holiday against the Hawks as he will miss a second straight game with a sprained right ankle.

Veteran big man Al Horford is expected to take Porziņģis' spot in the starting lineup until he's able to return. Players like Neemias Queta and Luke Kornet will also see more minutes in the frontcourt. Dalano Banton will start on Sunday in place of Holiday.