Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Announces Kristaps Porzingis News Before Game 3 Against Knicks

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt John | Last updated May 9, 2025 2:35 PM ET

The 2024-25 season has been rough for Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis. He missed the first 18 games of the season because of an offseason ankle injury and a few weeks in March because of an unidentified illness. His issues have resurfaced since the playoffs started.

Porzingis has been pretty limited during the 2025 NBA Playoffs due to an illness, particularly in the second round against the New York Knicks. In Game 1, he started and played 13 minutes but exited the game at halftime. In Game 2, he came off the bench but only played 14 minutes. Boston lost both games.

It appears whatever illness Porzingis was dealing with a few months ago is still a problem. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla recently revealed how hard it's been for Porzingis.

During Mazzulla's appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand, Mazzulla gave more details on what Porzingis has been dealing with.

"We do know: He had the illness, and he has the effects of that illness when it's his fatigue and his breathing, and he's doing everything he can to give us what he has," Mazzulla said.

#Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla says they do know the illness Kristaps Porzingis is dealing with and it’s impacting his “fatigue and his breathing.”

He’s hoping two days off will help KP.

- @985TheSportsHub
— Kayla Burton (@Kay_Breezy22) May 9, 2025

With the Celtics getting two days off between Games 2 and 3, Mazzulla is optimistic that the layoff can help with Porzingis' recovery.

"We hope that he'll continue to get better and better with these two days off," Mazzulla said. "We hope that he'll be better, because we need him for us to be at our best."

No new reports indicate that Porzingis will be held out of Game 3 or that he'll have a minutes restriction going forward.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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