Goga Bitadze injected himself into the physical and chippy Celtics-Magic series with his clumsiness, throwing a wild elbow that rammed into the forehead of Kristaps Porzingis, knocking the 7-footer to the floor. Blood began streaming from the point of impact.
Porzingis could have risen with rage or fear or uncertainty. Instead, he jumped to his feet, blood making two paths down the back of his head, and motioned the TD Garden faithful to stand as he walked to the locker room.
He had just enough time to be patched up as the play was being reviewed, then returned, with his head still stained with blood to sink one of two free throws with 55 seconds left in the third period.
Porzingis didn’t score in the fourth quarter but just his presence was impactful as, without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics were forced to survive and then prevail in a bloody and confrontational 109-100 win Wednesday night.
The Celtics lead the best-of-seven series two games to none with Game 3 on Friday night in Orlando. And sign Porzingis up for more playoff basketball, as he relished the opportunity to return despite five stitches, despite seeing streams of his own blood, and despite an elbow from a bumbling 250-pounder.
Porzingis finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocked shots, helping keep the Magic at bay with his ability to reach the free throw line. Orlando couldn’t stop fouling him, and that included Bitadze, who leveled him with that elbow that quieted the Garden — until Porzingis walked off the floor.
If you recall, nearly three weeks ago, Porzingis needed four stitches to mend a cut to his nose against the Suns, leaving for the locker room in similar jovial fashion.
“I love my WWE moments for sure,” he said. “You know me. I always love engaging with the crowd. And I already knew, getting hit again, blood again.”
Porzingis went back to the locker room and got stitched up, his latest war wound from what has been an injury-filled career. But these boo-boos are different. He’s playing for a second consecutive championship. A little blood or broken skin is nothing compared with the torn ankle tendon from last season or the torn ACL from his Knicks days. Porzingis feels like he missed too much time already in his career, that his gangly, thin body failed him earlier in his career and he’s got some making up to do.
“Honestly, how could I not come (back) out?” he said. “Five stitches and I can’t play? Like no. My legs work. Everything works so of course I’m going to be out there. Like I said, you know me, I like these moments, come back out again and get love from the crowd. This is not going to stop me and I’m going to keep going.”
Porzingis missed 12 of the Celtics’ 19 playoff games last season because of that ankle injury. And he missed the first 17 games this season recovering from the surgery. He also missed a full season in 2018-19 with that torn ACL. His toughness and durability have been questioned in the past. He doesn’t want it to be questioned now when his career is at an apex.
“In my career, I’ve had a lot of ups but I’ve had a lot of downs,” he said. “I’ve been out with injuries and so when I have the actual moment to play basketball, I try to enjoy to the fullest. I try to engage with the fans and it comes pretty naturally to me, especially playing here in Boston and getting this love and for me it’s no better place to do it, on the biggest stage and getting all of this love.
“This is what I’ve dreamed of and especially with my history, I enjoy every moment on the floor.”
While Porzingis is a WWE fan, his coach Joe Mazzulla is an admirer of the UFC. And Mazzulla relishes when his players respond to adversity, especially injury, to flourish in big moments. It’s one of the reasons why he didn’t want trainers to assist Tatum in Game 1 after he injured his right wrist. Mazzulla wanted to see Tatum’s determination to rise up on his own and return.
In Porzingis’s case, Mazzulla allowed trainers to attend to him once the blood appeared to make a puddle near the free throw line. He walked away with even more adulation for his big man.
“I like his overall approach,” Mazzulla said. “He has the innate ability to take things very seriously and at the same time have great perspective. He can maintain his poise. He just has a great way about him. I think that helps us.
“I like watching him bleed on the court. He comes back in and does his job.”
The Celtics are fully aware that the Magic are trying to roughen up this series to increase their chances to make it competitive. Al Horford told the Globe he was intentionally tripped by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the first half after the two clashed in Game 1 over Caldwell-Pope’s hard foul on Tatum.
And Wednesday, Porzingis needs stitches but wouldn’t allow the Magic to detect any weakness. It seems the Celtics are ready for this tumble to continue Friday in Orlando.
“We’re going to be us,” he said. “We’re not going to let anybody punk us. And we expect teams to be doing this kind of stuff, to get in our heads, to try to provoke us, try to maybe get some reaction out of us. It’s an emotional game. We weren’t surprised, but we’re not going take it and we’re going to hit them right back.”
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.
