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Joe Mazzulla Reveals Whether Celtics Will Shut Down Kristaps Porzingis

Originally posted on Boston Celtics on SI
By Matt Levine | Last updated May 16, 2025 12:10 PM ET

The Boston Celtics were able to hold off the New York Knicks in Game 5 of their postseason series. This series will be shifting back over to New York for Game 6, and the Celtics will need to stave off elimination once again.

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But heading into Game 6, the Celtics do have some level of concern about center Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis has been dealing with a strange illness, dating back to the regular season.

It has impacted him in this playoff series and limited his time on the floor. After Game 5, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about Porzingis and whether the team had discussed shutting him down.

"That's not something he would want. At the end of the day, if he has the ability to impact the game for however long he can, he wants to do that. That's what necessary for the team right now."

Joe Mazzulla on Zolak & Bertrand on whether there's been any discussion re: shutting down Kristaps Porzingis:

"That's not something he would want. At the end of the day, if he has the ability to impact the game for however long he can, he wants to do that. That's what necessary…
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) May 15, 2025

Porzingis scored just one point in the Game 5 win, playing in 12 minutes of action. The star center has been in and out of the lineup throughout this series, and the team is starting to get a little concerned about him.

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Earlier in the series, Mazzulla had said that the team understood what the illness was and that they were treating it. But it seems that it has continued to take Porzingis out, and there is worry about his status going forward.

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If Porzingis continues to be hampered by this illness, the Celtics may have to shut him down. The team isn't going to risk his health, and this issue has been bothering him for some time now.

Boston is looking to come back against New York without the services of star Jayson Tatum after he suffered an Achilles tear in Game 4. This is a confident group, but without multiple key players, the road to repeating as champions has become much tougher for this unit.

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This article first appeared on Boston Celtics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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