Kristaps Porzingis returns to action against the Rockets

Celtics

Porzingis has been out since Christmas with a sprained ankle.

Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the last four games with a sprained ankle, will return to action on Friday night against the Rockets, the team announced.

Porzingis injured the ankle during the first quarter of Boston’s loss to Philadephia on Christmas Day.

He slipped while attempting to dribble past Joel Embiid and planted the foot awkwardly. The 7-foot-2 player was able to stay on his feet, but came up hobbling afterward. He attempted to play through the pain and logged 11 minutes.

The Celtics are 19-4 without Porzingis this season. He missed the first 17 games while recovering from offseason ankle surgery. He has said he is still working to regain his rhythm. According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, the Celtics have been 9.2 points per 100 possessions worse with Porzingis on the floor this season.

“I’m not going to lie,” Porzingis said Thursday, per MassLive’s Brian Robb. “It’s super annoying, super frustrating to not be able to catch a good rhythm and already, boom, some small thing happens and you’re out for a couple games. Just to be dealing with this. It’s part of the life we choose. My body is obviously very particular, so these things can happen to me.”

Still, Porzingis’s return will be a welcome one for the Celtics who could use another body in the frontcourt.

He’s averaging 18.2 points and 6.2 rebounds this season and has shown that he still can be dominant in spurts. He scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds on 7-for-11 shooting in 25 minutes during a win against the Bulls in November. Plus, his lengthy frame is a deterrent for slashers who attack the rim.

Jaylen Brown, the only other Celtic listed on the injury report, remains out with a right shoulder strain. It’s the second absence in a row for Brown, who played 25 minutes in the Celtics’ blowout win over Toronto on New Year’s Eve.