NBA Insider Gives Kristaps Porzingis Update Ahead of Celtics’ 115-93 Win Over Knicks at Madison Square Garden

Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis has been dealing with a rare viral infection that has sapped him of his strength and agility.

NBA Insider Gives Kristaps Porzingis Update Ahead of Celtics’ 115-93 Win Over Knicks at Madison Square Garden

Kristaps Porzingis (Image via Instagram)

Kristaps Porzingis’ health has been the biggest question mark for the Boston Celtics during the 2025 NBA playoffs. The Latvian 7’3″ forward was a crucial component who made the team schematically superior with his two-way presence. However, his health has been patchy over the past couple of months.

The big man admitted to suffering from a rare viral condition in March. Porzingis took time off to recuperate from the disease in the lead-up to the playoffs. Although he felt he had made headway in the weeks preceding the postseason, Porzingis suffered a relapse last week. He has only played sparingly against the Magic and the Knicks in the Celtics’ eight playoff games.

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania provided an update on the Latvian’s condition ahead of game 3 of Celtics vs Knicks on Saturday. Speaking to Malika Andrews on NBA Today, Charania laid out the information he’s gleaned from Porzingis’ camp.

But in his own words, he had a crash right before game 1 of this (Knicks) series and he’s tried a lot of different things to try to mitigate the side effects. I’ve been told he’s receiving IVs, immune boosters. He’s even changed his sleep patterns to get more rest. He is essentially waking up every day hoping that he feels better. Last Finals run, he played with a torn tendon in his leg. And now here, in these playoffs, he’s dealing with these lingering side-effects from that March viral illness. He’s a vital piece for the Celtics, but he’s also a big unknown for them.

Shams Charania reported on NBA Today

The Celtics have been perfectly able to deal with his absences during the regular season. Al Horford has stepped up as the starting big man, while Luke Kornet has been an able backup. The team has many switchable defenders across the lineup and can adapt a variety of strategies on both ends of the floor.

However, with Kristaps Porzingis on the floor, they can give the opposition a much more uncontainable variety of looks on both ends. Porzingis is able to switch onto smaller guards, deter rim field goal attempts and knock down jump shots. His shooting range and veritably unblockable shot have been huge components of the Celtics’ success over the last two seasons.

Celtics overcome Kristaps Porzingis’ limitations to win game 3

Despite all the talk about the Boston Celtics‘ blown 20-point leads in games 1 and 2 pre-game, the team didn’t let their past defeats affect their gameplay at Madison Square Garden. Jayson Tatum and co came out swinging and built a 20-point lead before halftime. Unlike the two previous games, they proved impervious to the Knicks’ offense while also making shots from all ranges.

The Celtics shot 50% from 3-point range – a 25% jump from games 1 and 2. They made 20 of their 40 looks from range – a conversion rate sure to bury virtually any team in the playoffs. They also kept their turnover count low and spread the shots around, leading to Payton Pritchard leading the team in scoring.

Porzingis played 19 minutes, and while he didn’t make a single one of his three field goal attempts, he won six free throws and made five of those. He also tallied a game-high three blocks in those minutes and was a great screening presence. While his offense has been missing in the recent past, the Celtics can live with it if they make their open shots.

Boston will feel a lot more relieved with their performance in game 3. It was a far cry from the meltdowns on offense that they faced at TD Garden.

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