Boston – In Game 5, Kristaps Porzingis found himself on the bench for the second half, marking a repeated scenario in this series.
Due to his lack of effectiveness prior, Luke Cornett took over for him as the Celtics dominated with a 127-102 win at TD Garden, pushing them further in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Porzingis appears to still be affected by an ongoing illness.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla shared, “He couldn’t breathe, so we could use him if absolutely necessary. It was a decision between him and me. He had some trouble with his breathing. He wanted to be available, and if we really needed him, we could have brought him back in.”
This season, Porzingis missed eight games in March due to a serious condition related to ongoing health concerns. On Wednesday, he struggled significantly, missing all three of his shot attempts and grabbing just one rebound in 12 minutes of play.
Meanwhile, Cornett stepped up admirably, contributing 10 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks in 26 minutes, proving to be a solid replacement. He played particularly well against Karl-Anthony Towns, whose presence had previously challenged the Knicks.
“He was incredible,” praised Derrick White.
Josh Hart also received recognition on Wednesday, earning the league’s Minute Champion Award.
Hart led the NBA with an average of 37.6 minutes per game during the regular season, becoming the Knicks’ first minutes champion since Julius Randle in the 2020-21 season.
Hart jokingly noted, “I didn’t even realize that was an award,” when discussing the trophy. “I’m going to appreciate it and place it prominently in my trophy case.”
He further quipped, “I think it’s the second most important trophy in the history of Tib’s career. The first is his championship. This one is second.”
Hart shared his achievement on social media, humorously adding, “I think I got cardio this year.”
In addition, Sam Hauser made a return for the Celtics after missing three games due to an ankle sprain, contributing six points off the bench in 15 minutes.
