Joe Mazzulla provides new information regarding Kristaps Porzingis‘ illness

BOSTON — Joe Mazzulla mentioned that Kristaps Porzingis is feeling “slightly higher” after his second-quarter exit from Tuesday’s Sport 1 loss to the Knicks.

Porzingis was listed as questionable to return with a non-COVID sickness after leaving halfway by way of the second quarter. Initially, in his media availability on Tuesday afternoon, Mazzulla mentioned he had “no concept” if Porzingis’s sickness was associated to the higher respiratory sickness that saved him out of 11 video games from Feb. 26 to March 15.

However, he later shared that since Porzingis returned to the lineup, he’s handled lingering signs.

“Since he got here again, he’s form of been coping with it — working by way of it, combating by way of it, doing one of the best he can,” Mazzulla mentioned. “And I feel it was simply an excessive amount of for him in that recreation. He had been working by way of it since he’s gotten again, and he’s achieved an incredible job of being obtainable. It was simply laborious for him to proceed yesterday.”

In March, Kristaps Porzingis opened up about an unidentified sickness

Porzingis didn’t share a precise sickness prognosis upon his return, which got here at a highway recreation in Brooklyn, noting that the Celtics’ medical workers had bother determining precisely what was holding him out of motion.

“For every week, [I was] actually simply laying at house, attempting to get well,” he mentioned on his return on March fifteenth. “After which after that, I nonetheless had lingering fatigue. And, I nonetheless have it slightly bit, however no less than now, I’m stepping into, roughly, form to have the ability to play. However yeah, after every exercise, I used to be — growth, large crash. So, I used to be actually, actually fatigued. Not regular.”

“It was extraordinarily, extraordinarily irritating not understanding what I had. I haven’t been this sick, most likely ever, in my life.”

Porzingis finally turned to social media on March tenth to let followers know that the Celtics had not recognized the viral sickness he’s been coping with.

“I used to be getting a number of questions. I noticed it on social media and stuff — individuals need to know what’s happening, why I’m out for thus lengthy,” he mentioned. “Clearly, it was irritating for me — [I’m just] sickness (out), sickness (out). Like, ‘c’mon this man can’t play by way of some sickness?’ I might assume that. I simply wished to let individuals know that I used to be actually, like, coping with one thing. I might by no means sit out for a cough or one thing.”

Porzingis struggled within the first spherical of the playoffs towards the Magic, averaging 12 factors per recreation on 35.2% capturing.