Kristaps Porzingis should be good to go for Game 2.
The Boston Celtics big man was upgraded to “probable” for Wednesday’s matchup with the New York Knicks at TD Garden, a sign that he should play without any issue in the Eastern Conference semifinals game.
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Porzingis played just 13 minutes in the Celtics’ 108-105 loss in Game 1 on Monday due to a non-COVID-19 illness. He tried to play through it at the start, but he lasted just 13 minutes and missed all four of his shots before Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla subbed him out midway through the second quarter. He didn’t return to the game.
Specifics of Porzingis’ illness aren’t known. He missed eight games near the end of the regular season with an upper respiratory illness, however, which he said at the time was among the sickest he’s ever been in his life. Mazzulla said on Tuesday that, while he wasn’t sure if this latest illness was related to the first, Porzingis is still dealing with the impacts months later.
“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, via NBC Sports Boston. “I think it was just too much for him in that game [on Monday].
“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 [on Monday], so we’ll see kind of how he handles that.”
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Porzingis averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds this season, his second with the Celtics. The 29-year-old averaged 12 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in their opening-round series against the Orlando Magic, too. Porzingis is in the first year of a two-year, $60 million deal with the team.
The Knicks rallied back from a 20-point hole to stun the Celtics in overtime on Monday to take the early 1-0 series lead. While the Celtics could have pulled the win off without Porzingis, his presence on Wednesday night should be a nice addition for the defending champions as they attempt to even up the series before it heads to New York.
