Kristaps Porzingis laughs off gash, helps Celts finish off Game 2 - ESPN

BOSTON — As soon as his 7-foot-3-inch frame plummeted to the parquet court Wednesday night, Kristaps Porzingis immediately placed both of his hands on the gnarly gash across his split-open forehead, seemingly trying to plug a wound that would require five stitches.

Then, the Boston Celtics center wanted to survey the damage. Porzingis lifted his hands, now wet from the wound, and as blood began pooling on his face and rushing in fast-moving streaks down the back of his skull, he looked up at the red gore that coated his palms and fingers.

It was late in the third quarter of the Celtics' 109-100 Game 2 win over the Orlando Magic at TD Garden, and, moments before, Porzingis had received a vicious elbow to the face from Magic center Goga Bitadze when the two were fighting for a loose ball.

But quickly, as he lay bleeding on the court, Porzingis thought back to a moment a few weeks earlier, a home game in early April, when he took an opponent's elbow to the nose.

Blood streaked down his face then, too, and Porzingis, an avid wrestling fan, reveled in the moment, rising to his feet and pumping up Celtics fans.

«I love my WWE moments,» Porzingis said after producing 20 points and 10 rebounds to help the Celtics take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series. «And then you know me. I always love engaging with the crowd. And I already knew, getting hit again, blood again — the crowd was going to go with it.»

After taking the blow, Porzingis rose to his feet and started toward the locker room, with a towel atop his head as blood poured down his nose. He then sported an ear-to-ear smile and pointed to the crowd as fans rose to their feet and erupted in deafening cheers.

«He loves UFC, so I was like, this is perfect,»