Mazzulla said that Porzingis has been “fighting through” symptoms of the illness since he returned to the lineup in mid-March.
BOSTON — Joe Mazzulla said that Kristaps Porzingis is feeling “a little better” after his second-quarter exit from Tuesday’s Game 1 loss to the Knicks.
Porzingis was listed as questionable to return with a non-COVID illness after leaving midway through the second quarter. Initially, in his media availability on Tuesday afternoon, Mazzulla said he had “no idea” if Porzingis’s illness was related to the upper respiratory illness that kept him out of 11 games from Feb. 26 to March 15.
But, he later shared that since Porzingis returned to the lineup, he’s dealt with lingering symptoms.
“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.”
In March, Kristaps Porzingis opened up about an unidentified illness
Porzingis didn’t share an exact illness diagnosis upon his return, which came at a road game in Brooklyn, noting that the Celtics’ medical staff had trouble figuring out exactly what was keeping him out of action.
“For a week, [I was] really just laying at home, trying to recover,” he said on his return on March 15th. “And then after that, I still had lingering fatigue. And, I still have it a little bit, but at least now, I’m getting into, more or less, shape to be able to play. But yeah, after each workout, I was — boom, big crash. So, I was really, really fatigued. Not normal.”
“It was extremely, extremely frustrating not knowing what I had. I haven’t been this sick, probably ever, in my life.”
Porzingis ultimately turned to social media on March 10th to let fans know that the Celtics had not identified the viral illness he’s been dealing with.
I have been dealing with some viral illness that we haven’t been able to fully identify yet. I am recovering and getting better. But still working my way back to full strenght to help this team. Thanks for support and Im hoping for a healthy return soon. pic.twitter.com/3HdJvdYRG3
— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) March 11, 2025
“I was getting a lot of questions. I saw it on social media and stuff — people want to know what’s going on, why I’m out for so long,” he said. “Obviously, it was frustrating for me — [I’m just] illness (out), illness (out). Like, ‘c’mon this guy can’t play through some illness?’ I would think that. I just wanted to let people know that I was really, like, dealing with something. I would never sit out for a cough or something.”
Porzingis struggled in the first round of the playoffs against the Magic, averaging 12 points per game on 35.2% shooting.