Joe Mazzulla Shares Kristaps Porzingis Update After Early Exit

The Celtics weren’t at full strength as they blew a 20-point lead to the Knicks on Monday night at TD Garden.

In addition to losing Sam Hauser due to an ankle injury, Boston played the entire second half against New York without Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis, who was limited to 13 minutes in Game 1, initially was on the Celtics’ bench when the third quarter was about to begin but returned to the locker room before play resumed and did not return due to illness.

Speaking with the media Tuesday afternoon, Mazzulla classified Porzingis — and Hauser — as day-to-day, per the Boston Herald’s Zack Cox. The Celtics head coach also indicated Porzingis’ early exit Monday night stemmed from lingering effects of the upper respiratory issue that sidelined him for eight games in early March.

“He had been working through it since he’s gotten back and he’s done a great job of being available,” Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS’ Noa Dalzell. “It was just hard for him to continue yesterday.”

While Porzingis certainly makes Boston a better team, it has experience playing without him in high-stakes situations. After playing the first four games of the Celtics’ 2024 playoff run, Porzingis was on the bench until he played four of five contests in Boston’s NBA Finals triumph over the Dallas Mavericks.

Should Porzingis not be fit to play Wednesday night, Al Horford likely will take his spot in the Celtics’ starting five for the all-important Game 2 matchup with the Knicks.