Kristaps Porziņģis Says He’ll Come Off Celtics’ Bench in NBA Finals Game 2 vs. Mavs

Kristaps Porziņģis is embracing his sixth man role.

The Boston Celtics big man confirmed to ESPN’s Malika Andrews (3:09 in video) that he will come off the bench for Sunday’s Game 2 matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. Porziņģis had 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks in Game 1, dominating the Mavs in his first action since April 29.

“Getting on the court (and) getting that kind of support was unreal,” Porziņģis told reporters after Game 1. “The adrenaline was pumping through my veins and that definitely helped.

“Obviously it wasn’t ideal that I was out for such a long time, but I did everything I could to prepare mentally for this moment coming back and it paid off and we got the job done tonight and had a good game and happy about the result.”

Porziņģis’ willingness to come off the bench is paying back the sacrifice Al Horford made before the start of the 2023-24 regular season. Horford played a regular bench role for the first time in his career this season, ceding his starting spot to Porziņģis in hopes of winning his first championship.

The sacrifice paid off, as Boston won an NBA-best 64 games in the regular season and carried the momentum to its second NBA Finals in three seasons. When Porziņģis went down in the Celtics’ first-round series against the Miami Heat, Horford stepped back into the starting lineup and carried the mantle.

Now that Porziņģis is back and fully healthy, he seems willing to come off the bench and make the sacrifice necessary to put Boston over the top.