However, Porzingis’ postgame comments should help them breathe a sigh of relief. He downplayed the issue and made it clear that he stayed away from the game out of an abundance of caution.

“I banged my heel a little bit early in the first quarter,” he told reporters after the game. “Not early, but sometime in the first quarter. I kept playing. Honestly, it’s nothing big. More of a precaution.”

“When it started in the second (quarter), it was pretty dicey, so I told the doctors and they just took me out of the game. I don’t think it’s anything big.”

Porzingis was asked if he had felt any pain in a previous game.

“I think that happened in this game,” he replied. “One of the post-ups or rebounds or one of the lobs. I’m not even sure where. But I’ve had something similar in the past. …

“I think I should be fine. We have three or four days. We’ll see.”

While Porzingis and the C’s will benefit from a three-day break before hosting the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, it can’t hurt to give the 7-foot-2 star some time off. Boston is 16-3 without Porzingis this season and keeping him healthy for the playoffs is a top priority.

In any case, Porzingis’ statement is encouraging. If he feels like the injury isn’t a problem, it will be difficult for coach Joe Mazzulla to keep him off the TD Garden floor on Thursday.

Celtics-Bulls tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET Celtics Pregame Live starting at 6:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Boston.