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BOSTON — For the second time in this series, Kristaps Porzingis didn’t see any second-half action.
Ineffective in the first half, he was replaced by Luke Kornet in the second half of the Celtics’ 127-102 Game 5 romp at TD Garden that extended this Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The mysterious illness is still impacting the 7-foot-2 former Knick.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“He couldn’t breathe, so he was available if absolutely necessary,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “That was a decision between me and him. He was having just difficulty breathing. He wanted to be out there. If we absolutely needed him, we would’ve been able to go to him and rely on him.”
Porzingis missed eight games in March with an upper-respiratory illness that is related to his ongoing health problems. Porzingis missed all three of his shots on Wednesday and mustered one rebound in 12 minutes.
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A former Knick, Kornet was terrific in place of Porzingis, producing 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks in 26 minutes. He outplayed Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
“He was unbelievable,” Derrick White.
All those minutes paid off for Josh Hart with a trophy.
On Wednesday, he was presented with the league’s “minutes champion” award.
Hart averaged an NBA-leading 37.6 minutes per game for the Knicks during the regular season.
He is the Knicks’ first minutes champion since Julius Randle (37.6) in 2020-21.
“I didn’t know that was an award until [Knicks media relations director] Derek [Lapinski] brought it to me,” Hart joked prior to the loss. “I think that might be one of my only individual accolades or trophies I’ll get from my time in the league. I might cherish that a little bit, put it in the front row of my trophy case.”
He added: “I think it’s the second most important trophy for Thibs in his career. The first is his championship. The second is my trophy.”
Hart made light of the award on social media as well.
“Guess I got my cardio in this year,” he wrote.
Sam Hauser returned for the Celtics after missing the past three games with a sprained right ankle. He scored six points off the bench in 15 minutes.
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