Boston – In March, upper respiratory issues caused Kristaps Porzingis to miss eight games.
This concern seems to linger, as seen in his performance previously.
The 7-foot-2 center didn’t participate in the second half during the Knicks’ comeback victory in Game 1, where he had a scoreless 13 minutes in the first half.
There’s a possibility that he could play in Game 2 this Wednesday at TD Garden.
“Since he returned, he’s been battling through it, doing whatever he can,” said coach Joe Matzlla on Tuesday. “I think it became too much for him in that game… he fought hard after coming back. He did incredibly well to be available; it was just tough for him to keep going on Monday.”
Since joining the Celtics, Porzingis has become a significant threat against the Knicks, boasting an impressive 50% three-point shooting in seven regular-season games, with averages of 22.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.
In the opening round against the Magic, Porzingis averaged 12.0 points and 5.8 rebounds, but struggled with a mere 11.8% from beyond the arc.
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“I think it definitely affected our team because Kristaps was absent,” noted Backup Center Al Horford. “But in the end, credit goes to the Knicks—they played better.”
Mitchell Robinson’s free throw shooting woes were also apparent.
Despite missing some free throws, he was the Knicks’ highest contributor with a plus-13 in just 21 minutes played.
“He adds so much to our team—rebounding, rim protection, and the ability to switch,” Thibodeau commented. “His size is critical for us, and we need to leverage that. I’m sure he’ll need to step up at the line.”
Robinson wasn’t the only one struggling with free throws, as Josh Hart also missed three, contributing to the team’s overall poor performance from the line, shooting 17-31.
The Celtics may be without Sam Hauser, who suffered a right ankle sprain on Monday, making his availability for Game 2 uncertain.
