On Monday, the Celtics blew a 20-point lead at home to lose to the Knicks, giving the hoop community one of the biggest upsets of these playoffs. A major reason behind the shocking turnaround was the early exit of Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian Center abruptly subbed out in the second quarter after playing just 13 minutes. Reports revealed that he was struck by a non-COVID illness and was done for the night.
As concerns grew about Porzingis’ health, Joe Mazzulla stated that it might be the same illness that forced him to miss eight straight games during the regular season, “Since he came back, I think he’s kind of been dealing with it and all fighting through it, working through it, doing the best that he can. And 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 and it was just tough for him to continue yesterday.” Heading into tonight’s Game 2, KP was listed as probable on the injury report, hinting that he would be available to suit up. And he did.
After missing Monday’s entire second half, Porzingis made his highly anticipated return tonight. However, he looked like a shell of himself on the floor. He went scoreless after playing only six minutes in the first half, and he looked gassed trying to keep up. And that had NBA legend Charles Barkley worried, as he issued a stern warning to the Celtics during halftime break, “If they don’t get him healthy, they going to struggle, they need him special right now he’s not special.”
(Developing Story)
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