Boston Celtics star big man Kristaps Porzingis played limited minutes throughout the team's second-round series with the New York Knicks. He only exceeded 20 minutes once in six games before the Knicks eliminated the Celtics Friday in a dominant 119-81 win.
In Friday's Game 6, Porzingis came off the bench and logged just 11 minutes, scoring four points along with five rebounds and a block shot. He missed eight games in March due to a viral illness. Last week, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Porzingis was still dealing with side effects from that same illness, which has cause energy zaps and his stamina having ebbs and flows over the past couple months. After Celtics' season came to a close, Porzingis opened up about what he's going through.
"I always try to downplay it in my own mind," he said to reporters postgame. "It's like, 'I'm good, I'm good.' But I think just, I don't know, my system is not perfect right now. It's not working the way it should be. Many weird things and it might be that the best thing I need right now is just rest. Get somewhere in the sun and let my system kind of even itself out. But it's definitely a very frustrating time for me."
Kristaps Porzingis about his mysterious illness:
— Darko Dželetović (@DarkoBasketball) May 17, 2025
“My system is not working the way it should be…” pic.twitter.com/HDyuJm3zAx
After Game 5, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis "couldn't breathe" which is why he played only 12 minutes and none in the second half. The side effects must have still been around for Game 6, logging minimal minutes as Boston tried to force a Game 7.
Plenty of rest is on the docket for Porzingis now that the Celtics enter their offseason.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kristaps Porzingis Opened Up About Lingering Illness After Celtics' Elimination.
