Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis did not play in the second half of Wednesday’s Game 5 win over the Knicks for a simple reason.
According to his coach, he couldn’t breathe.
“I mean, he couldn’t breathe. He was available if absolutely necessary. So that was just a decision between me and him,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said after the 127-102 win. “He was having difficulties breathing, but he wanted to be out there, and if we absolutely needed him, we would have been able to go to him and rely on him.”
Mazzulla continued: “But you’ve seen a lot of that this year. Changing the lineup at halftime is something that we’ve done a lot this year because it just adds a different dimension and can change some sub patterns throughout the game. So it’s a credit to the guys just buying into what gives us the best chance to win each and every night, and I know (Porzingis) will be ready for us.”
Porzingis has been dealing with an unspecified respiratory illness on and off since February. He’s also struggled throughout Boston’s second-round series against New York, perhaps never more so than Wednesday. In 12-plus minutes, he finished with one point, a rebound, one block and two turnovers, after going 0-of-3 from the floor.
Meanwhile his replacement, Luke Kornet, enjoyed a stellar night highlighted by a career-high seven blocks. Kornet also added 10 points and nine rebounds.
“He’s great, both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla said. “Did a great job protecting the rim, did a great job defending without fouling, did a great job on both ends of the floor. I just thought his presence was good, especially on the rebounding. He had nine rebounds, two offensive ones. He made some big-time plays for us.”
It’s unclear how the Celtics will deploy their big men Friday in Game 6, though if Korney’s plus-20 is any indication, Boston may stick with its backup big.
Friday night’s tip-off is set for 8 p.m.