Kristaps Porzingis was on the receiving end of an elbow to his forehead.
But that didn’t stop him from taking his free throws.
After the Magic’s Paolo Banchero missed a jumper with less than a minute to go in the third quarter of the Celtics’ 109-100 Game 2 win in Boston, Porzingis took an inadvertent elbow to the noggin from Goga Bitadze as the two vied for the loose ball.
Porzingis immediately fell to the TD Garden floor with blood running from the front of his head into his hair and to the back as Bitadze checked on him.
After he got up off the floor, Porzingis, with a towel on his head as blood dripped down his face, was all smiles as he went back to the Celtics’ locker room and even high-fived some fans.
Bitadze, after a long review, was handed a flagrant 1, and Porzingis, now bandaged up, came back to the floor to shoot his free throws and made 1 of 2.
elbow during the second half of the Celtics’ home win over the Pistons
on April 23, 2025. Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Porzingis finished with 20 points — half of which came from the charity stripe — with 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals as the Celtics cruised to a 2-0 series lead, holding serve at home court.
Jaylen Brown led the way with 36 points while Derrick White chipped in 17.
The teams are scheduled to play Game 3 in Orlando on Friday night.