Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis Offers Optimistic Update Ahead Of Game 5

The Celtics could be without Jayson Tatum for at least one game, and they’ll need one of their stars at full strength.

Tatum suffered a lower leg injury in the final minutes of Boston’s Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters the 27-year-old would undergo an MRI on Tuesday, and players from both sides expressed hope that the All-NBA star didn’t suffer a worst-case outcome.

One player who will need to step up in his absence is Kristaps Porzingis, who had been battling an illness throughout the series. The veteran big man believes he might have turned the corner Monday.

“Tonight was the first time I felt decent, honestly,” Porzingis told reporters, per MassLive’s Souichi Terada. “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.”

Porzingis played 24 minutes off the bench in Game 4, which was the most he played since Game 3 against the Orlando Magic. The Knicks targeted the 29-year-old in the fourth quarter, and his seven points off 2-for-6 shooting didn’t inspire confidence.

However, Porzingis understood he and his teammates need to step up and give their best effort to keep their season alive.