The Boston Celtics were able to stay alive with a dominant Game 5 win over the New York Knicks. After the first half ended with a 59-59 tie, the Celtics took over in the second half.
When all was said and done, Boston took Game 5 by a final score of 127-102. It was an impressive showing by a team who had just lost Jayson Tatum in Game 4 to a torn Achilles. Now, a Game 6 will be necessary at Madison Square Garden.
Kristaps Porzingis, who has been dealing with a mysterious illness that has bothered him for weeks, stepped into the starting lineup to replace Tatum. He was only able to play 12 minutes, scoring one point, grabbing one rebound, and recording one block.
Following the season-saving win, head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke out and revealed a highly concerning update about Porzingis when asked why the big man didn't play in the second half.
"He couldn't breathe. He was available if absolutely necessary," Mazzulla said.
Despite Porzingis not being able to make an impact, plenty of players stepped up and played at an elite level.
Derrick White led the way in scoring for the Celtics with 34 points on 9-for-16 shooting. He also knocked down seven of his 13 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.
In addition to White's huge game, Jaylen Brown put together a strong performance as well. He scored 26 points to go along with 12 assists and eight rebounds. Payton Pritchard came off the bench to chip in 17 points as well.
Kristaps Porzingis Celtics
Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis.
© David Butler II-Imagn Images
Should Boston be able to keep up this level of play, it could make things interesting in Game 6.
Game 6 will be played on Friday night at 8 p.m. ET. If the Celtics can pull off another win, they would force a winner-take-all Game 7 back in Boston on Monday.