The Celtics’ long list of unavailable players Thursday night included, once again, Kristaps Porzingis.

Porzingis’ illness now has sidelined the center for four straight games and five of Boston’s last six. Details about the nature of his ailment are scarce, but Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis has been able to visit the team facility daily.

“I mean, he’s sick,” the Celtics head coach said before Thursday’s matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. “He’s coming into the facility every day, trying to get shots up, sweat it out. He’s just not feeling well, but he’s working to get back.”

Porzingis was present at Thursday’s game, watching from Boston’s bench in an old-school Celtics Starter jacket.

Between this sickness, his recovery from offseason surgery and the various minor lower-leg injuries he sustained shortly after his return, Porzingis has played in just 32 of Boston’s 63 games this season. He’s been effective when he has played — since the start of 2025, he’s averaging 19.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from 3-point range — but his availability will be a key storyline as the playoffs approach.

Starting guard Jrue Holiday also sat out his fourth straight game with a mallet finger injury in his right pinky. Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Sam Hauser were ruled out, as well, forcing Mazzulla to get creative with his lineup.

Jayson Tatum and Derrick White started in their usual spots, with the former returning to action after missing Wednesday’s win over Portland with a shoulder injury. Luke Kornet, Neemias Queta and Drew Peterson rounded out Boston’s starting five.

It was the first career start for Peterson, a two-way player who splits his time between the Celtics and their G League affiliate in Maine. He was the 13th different player to start a game for Boston this season.

One of the few who hasn’t: Payton Pritchard, who scored a career-high 43 points and hit 10 3-pointers against the Trail Blazers. Pritchard has come off the bench in all of his team-high 62 appearances, with Mazzulla preferring to keep the NBA Sixth Man of the Year favorite in that role rather than starting him on nights when the Celtics are shorthanded.

Pritchard did start the second half of Wednesday’s game and saw a starter-level workload (43 minutes).

“I think just flexibility in general is important,” Mazzulla said when asked about the prospect You saw that (Wednesday) we were able to go to different lineups in the first and second half, and just maintaining flexibility to go with whatever makes the most sense at the particular time is really at the forefront. Being able to do that throughout a game and really a season is important. Nights like tonight present that opportunity, and we’ve just got to take advantage of it.”

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