To earn a spot on Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla’s good side, you need grit. When Boston’s big man, Kristaps Porzingis, swiftly returned to action on Wednesday after taking an elbow to the forehead that required stitches, Mazzulla was impressed.

READ: Madman Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla Barks At Jayson Tatum To ‘Get Up’ From Injury

Porzingis suffered the gash in the final minute of the third period, though he didn’t miss a second, coming back on the court with a bandage and blood still trickling.

Mazzulla praised Porzingis’ toughness in his signature style with a distinctive choice of words after the win.

“I like watching him bleed on the court. I think it’s important,” Mazzulla said post-game when asked about Porzingis’ guts.

Porzingis didn’t just stay in the game; he delivered 20 points and 10 rebounds, powering the Celtics to a 109-100 victory and a 2-0 series lead.

An MMA fan, Mazzulla revels in raw intensity.

The elbow to Porzingis’ forehead came from Orlando’s Goga Bitadze, marking the second consecutive game a Celtics player endured a hard hit from the Magic’s aggressive play.

Bitadze received a Flagrant Foul 1 for the contact. 

Celtics star Jayson Tatum missed Game 2 after injuring his wrist in a collision with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter, Jr. In Game 1, when Tatum went down, Mazzulla briefly held off a Celtics trainer from checking on the team’s lead All-Star, shouting at Tatum to “get up!”

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