Kristaps Porzingis was benched for the second half of Wednesday's Game 5 win over the Knicks due to his lingering illness.

The Celtics had no easy fix to replace Jayson Tatum entering their do-or-die Game 5 matchup against the Knicks on Wednesday night. Joe Mazzulla began the game by reinserting Kristaps Porzingis into the starting five in place of Tatum despite the big man’s ineffective play for much of the series due to illness.

Porzingis shot a career-high 41.2 percent from 3 this regular season and is only shooting 12.5 percent (3-24) this postseason. Porzingis did miss a few weeks of action during the

After playing a series-high 24 minutes in Game 4, Porzingis logged just 12 minutes in Game 5. Following the game, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla clarified why Porzingis didn't play in

The Boston Celtics forced a Game 6 with a dominant win over the New York Knicks, but they had to do so without their starting big man for most of the game.

Porziņģis has battled an upper respiratory illness since the end of the regular season and has been ineffective for much of the postseason.

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla provided a key Kristaps Porzingis update after the New York Knicks' Game 5 loss.

In a shock turn of events, the Boston Celtics are one game away from elimination in their second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. Joe Mazzulla's team has let double-digit leads slip away in each of their three losses,