The Celtics blew a 20-point lead to the Knicks during Game 1 on Monday night, but the biggest story from the game might be the health of Boston’s starting center.
Kristaps Porzingis played just 13 minutes, all of which came in the first half. That meant that 38-year-old Al Horford had to play 34 minutes in the overtime loss, which included much of the second half when New York erased the large deficit to force an extra period.
Porzingis has always had injury issues since entering the league in 2015, and he’s played just 99 games in the past two regular seasons, as well as playing in just seven games during Boston’s championship run last year. So, the center’s health concerns aren’t new, even as he plays a key role in the Celtics team.
Still, Porzingis’ absence was a major factor on Monday night, and it could play a huge part in the Knicks-Celtics series moving forward. Here’s the latest update on Porzingis’ health ahead of Game 2.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Kristaps Porzingis illness update
Earlier this year, Porzingis dealt with an upper respiratory illness that forced him to miss 11 games at the end of February and beginning of March. On Tuesday, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla hinted at the fact that Porzingis is still dealing with the lingering symptoms of that illness, which played a role in his limited action during Game 1.
“He had been working through it since he’s gotten back, and he’s done a great job of being available,” Mazzulla said, via Noa Dalzell. “It was just hard for him to continue yesterday.”
In March, Porzingis described what he dealt with when he first got the illness.
“I haven’t been this sick, probably ever, in my life,” he said. “After each workout, I was — boom, big crash. Really fatigued. Not normal.”
Kristaps Porzingis details what these last few weeks have been like:
“It was extremely, extremely frustrating not knowing what I had.. I haven’t been this sick, probably ever, in my life.”
“After each workout, I was — boom, big crash. Really fatigued. Not normal.” pic.twitter.com/v5QSDBCkMz
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 16, 2025
It is still unclear what illness exactly Porzingis has, but it seems as though it is something he will be dealing with in the playoffs moving forward. While Mazzulla declared both Porzingis and forward Sam Hauser as “day-to-day” on Tuesday, the Celtics declared Porzingis “probable” for Game 2 on Wednesday.
Injury Report for tomorrow vs. New York:
Sam Hauser (right ankle sprain) – DOUBTFUL
Kristaps Porzingis (illness, non-Covid) – PROBABLE— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 6, 2025
NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracket
Kristaps Porzingis injury history
Porzingis has a history of missing games, as he’s only played in more than 70 games once in his career. Additionally, since his third season in the league, Porzingis has missed at least 25 games in all but one season in that span.
Here’s a list of all the injuries Porzingis faced in his career:
- 2017-18: Sprained ankle, back tightness, Torn ACL
- 2018-19: Torn ACL rehab
- 2019-20: Torn meniscus
- 2020-21: Torn meniscus rehab
- 2021-22: Toe, knee, ankle injuriesÂ
- 2022-23: Groin, ankle, back, ribs injuries
- 2023-24: Hamstring, calf, knee, ankle injuries
- 2024-25: Ankle surgery rehab, Illness
