Joe Mazzula shares an intriguing update on Kristaps Porzingis ahead of Knicks clash
Joe Mazzula shares an intriguing update on Kristaps Porzingis ahead of Knicks clash
Kristaps Porzingis’ availability is once again in question after his abrupt exit from the Boston Celtics’ Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night.
The Boston Celtics big man is “day-to-day” with an illness, head coach Joe Mazzulla confirmed to reporters Tuesday. Porzingis exited Monday’s game at TD Garden with 7:34 remaining in the second quarter and did not return after the team listed him as questionable with a “non-Covid illness.”
“He’s a little bit better. We’ll see how he feels,” Mazzulla said Tuesday of Porzingis.
While the nature of Porzingis’ illness is unclear, it’s fair to wonder whether his current condition is related to the upper respiratory illness that caused him to miss eight straight games from Feb. 28 to March 14. Porzingis noted at the time that he hadn’t “been this sick for probably ever in my life.”
“I was really, for a week, really just laying at home trying to recover,” Porzingis said after his first game back on March 15. “And after that, I had lingering fatigue — and I still have it a little bit.”
Mazzulla said Tuesday he has “no idea” if Porzingis’ current illness is related to what he had in March but then revealed that the big man is still dealing with some lingering effects of that illness.
“Since he came back, I think he’s been kind of dealing with it on and off, fighting through it, working through it, doing the best he can,” Mazzulla said. “I think it was just too much for him in that game.
“… He had been working through it since he’s gotten back and he’s done a great job of being available. It was just tough for him to continue (Monday), so we’ll see kind of how he handles that.”
Porzingis started in Game 1 but didn’t look like himself, going scoreless in 12:58 of playing time on 0 for 4 shooting with four rebounds, one assist and a turnover. And outside a 20-point effort in Game 1 of the first round against the Orlando Magic, Porzingis has largely struggled this postseason, shooting 32.8 percent from the floor and just 11.8 percent from 3-point range (2 for 17) in six playoff games to date.
The Celtics didn’t need a fully-effective Porzingis to dispatch the Magic in five games, but they could certainly use him against New York, especially considering the former Knicks lottery pick has had plenty of success against his former team.
Game 2 of Celtics-Knicks is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET at TD Garden, and Porzingis’ status will be worth monitoring closely.
UPDATE: The Celtics listed Porzingis as probable on their injury report Tuesday afternoon, suggesting he’s on track to play in Game 2.