The Atlanta Hawks will be without one of their key players for a game against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Friday, December 12.
Kristaps Porzingis is listed as out due to illness on the official injury report. The former All-Star will miss his second consecutive game. He was held out of a contest against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, December 6, the second leg of a back-to-back for Atlanta, for rest purposes.
Porzingis has been an important contributor for the Hawks as they wait for Trae Young to return from injury, averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists in his last 10 games. For the season, the big man from Latvia is averaging 19.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 49.7 % from the field and 36.4% from three.
Porzingis was acquired by the Hawks from the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade this offseason. Atlanta sent Georges Niang to Boston and Terance Mann to the Brooklyn Nets.
Is Kristaps Porzingis Playing Tonight?
Porzingis is out for tonight’s game against the Pistons, which will be the 13th game he has not played this year. It appears Porzingis is still being bothered by illness after missing time earlier this season because of it.
Porzingis did not play in two games in October due to illness and then missed a contest against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 8 due to illness management. He missed four more games in late November and early December due to illness.
Atlanta seems to be managing Porzingis’ workload as much as possible early in the year. The Hawks (14-11) are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference and expect to contend for a playoff spot. They are going to need Porzingis healthy and on the court in the final third of the season.
Kristaps Porzingis’ Recurring Illness Issue
Porzingis struggled with illness in the second round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks last season, including in Game 5 where he played just 12 minutes and missed the entire second half. It rendered him basically ineffective in the series as he averaged just 4.1 points per game, after averaging 19 points per game in the regular season.
In an interview with The Athletic’s Fred Katz over the summer, Porzingis revealed doctors diagnosed him with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, more commonly referred to as POTS, which is an autonomic condition that causes a dramatic increase in heart rate when standing, leading to dizziness and exhaustion.
Porzingis played with the Latvian national team during Eurobasket over summer with no issues, and he believed he was over POTS. But his illness woes early in 2025-26 could be a sign that he is feeling some of the more lasting effects of the condition.
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