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Insider Reveals Celtics Star's Injury vs. Knicks

The Boston Celtics are dealing with an injury to one of their best players against the New York Knicks.
Jeremy Brener|
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges and forward OG Anunoby defend against Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges and forward OG Anunoby defend against Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are up 2-0 in their series against the Boston Celtics, who have seen both games lost in the final possession.

The Celtics could easily be up 2-0 if the team made just one three in each of their losses, but it's also clear that the team isn't operating at 100 percent.

Former Knicks top pick and Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis has been one of the players struggling throughout the series. Porzingis has averaged 13.5 minutes per contest in the first two games of the series, proving that he is far from 100 percent. In the two games, he is averaging just four points and four rebounds.

The Athletic insider Shams Charania is reporting that Porzingis is dealing with an illness that plagued the Latvian big man back in March.

"Kristaps Porzingis has been dealing with lingering side effects from the virus that he had in March," Charania said on "The Pat McAfee Show."

"He's tried to find ways to mitigate it but it has really drained his energy. It's been a tough blow to this Celtics team to not have him at 100%."

Porzingis missed eight consecutive games from Feb. 28 until Mar. 14. He returned on Mar. 15 but missed five of the team's final 12 games.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about Porzingis' illness, and he gave an update to reporters.

With Al Horford and Luke Kornet also available, the Celtics have players who can play in Porzingis' place, but Boston would probably be in a better position if the team had him on the floor for longer minutes.

That being said, the Celtics missed Porzingis through a good chunk of last year's playoffs and still found a way to win, so the Knicks cannot underestimate what Boston can do with him not at 100 percent.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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