Porzingis shares encouraging injury update after C’s-Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Kristaps Porzingis’ injury dampened the Boston Celtics’ 112-98 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday night.

The Celtics big man went to the locker room in the second quarter and did not return because of what the team called “right heel pain.” It’s unclear when Porzingis sustained the injury, but the sight of him limping into the tunnel undoubtedly caused unease among C’s fans.

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.