Celtics' Joe Mazzulla Says Kristaps Porzingis 'Couldn't Breathe' in Game 5 vs. Knicks
The Boston Celtics forced a Game 6 with a dominant win over the New York Knicks, but they had to do so without their starting big man for most of the game.
Kristaps Porziņģis played just 12 minutes in the win, scoring one point with a rebound and a block. After the game, head coach Joe Mazzulla explained that Porziņģis missed much of the game because he couldn't breathe.
"He couldn't breathe, so he was available if absolutely necessary," Mazzulla said. "That was just a decision between me and him. Just difficulty breathing. He wanted to be out there and if we absolutely needed him, we would've been able to go to him and rely on him."
It's unclear exactly what was making it difficult for Porziņģis to breathe on Wednesday, but he's been dealing with health issues for much of the season. He missed several weeks of the regular season because of an unidentified illness.
"I have been dealing with some viral illness that we haven't been able to fully identify yet," he wrote on social media in March. "I am recovering and getting better. But still working my way back to full strength to help this team. Thanks for support and I'm hoping for a healthy return soon."
Though he's been able to stay on the court consistently in recent weeks, it's clear the illness is still impacting him. Through five games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Porziņģis has played just 16.4 minutes per game, putting up 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds.
He said he was feeling better after Game 4, though things clearly changed in Game 5.
“Tonight was the first time I felt decent, honestly,” Porzingis said after Game 4, per MassLive's Souichi Tereda. “Just everything. My energy, I was more like uplifted, and maybe didn’t have my best game, anyway. But my energy was good and I felt like I could go a bit more up and down, so that was a positive.”
Luckily for Boston, another big man has stepped up while Porziņģis manages his illness. Luke Kornet played 26 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, posting 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks, serving as one of the key contributors in the win.
“Yeah, he was great. Both ends of the floor," Mazzulla told reporters. "Did a great job protecting the rim. Did a great job defending without fouling. Did a great job on both ends of the floor. So just thought his presence was good, especially in the rebounding… He made some big time plays for us.”
The Celtics managed to avoid a gentleman's sweep on Wednesday, but they still need to win two more games without star Jayson Tatum to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. They'll look to role players like Kornet to continue stepping up in Game 6.
