Celtics to be Without One Player for Game 2

While Hauser is ruled out, the Celtics will have their star big man, Kristaps Porzingis, for Game 2 after he was listed as probable prior to game time due to illness. 

The Celtics will start Al Horford in place of Porzingis. 

As for Hauser, he suffered a sprained right ankle in Game 1. He was spotted limping to the locker room. With the 26-year-old being ruled out, the Celtics could turn to Baylor Scheierman to help pick up the slack off the bench.

Porzingis is once again battling an illness, similar to what sidelined him between late February and March.

As the Celtics prepare to host the New York Knicks for Game 2, head coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned Tuesday that the former lottery pick is experiencing the same type of symptoms he dealt with earlier in the season.

“Since he came back, he’s kind of been dealing with it — working through it, fighting through it, doing the best he can,” Mazzulla said. “And I think it was just too much for him in that game. He had been working through it since he’s gotten back, and he’s done a great job of being available. It was just hard for him to continue yesterday.”

The Celtics will look to tie the series and the oddsmakers like their chances of doing just that. ESPN Bet has Boston as a massive home favorite with a -10.5 spread. 

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