The Boston Celtics have had to play multiple games in a row without their starting center, but they might be close to getting him back.

Kristaps Porzingis missed the Celtics' matchup with the Thunder on Thursday night. Porzingis has missed seven of the last eight games with a non-COVID illness.

The Latvian center has missed a lot of time lately while dealing with what he recently revealed to be an unnamed viral infection, causing fans of the team to worry about whether this is simply a bad bug KP needs a little more time to recover from -- or something more serious that could jeopardize his health longer-term.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said the Celtics are a “significantly” different team when Porzingis is not available — no other Boston big can replicate his combination of 3-point shooting and top-tier rim defense — but still a formidable foe because of their depth and versatility.

He continues to miss games for one reason or another, recently missing the last six games with a mystery illness.The Celtics knew that they were trading for someone who was injury-prone when they acquired him.

The Boston Celtics have been without Kristaps Porzingis for the last six games, including Monday night's win over the Utah Jazz, as the big man has been dealing what he described as a "viral illness" that the team hasn't "been able to fully identify yet.