‘Kills Me Inside’: Kristaps Porzingis Details Battling Mysterious Illness

The Boston Celtics had to have hoped they would get more out of Kristaps Porzingis in Game 2 against the New York Knicks after he left Game 1 in the second quarter due to illness.

But Porzingis, still feeling the lingering effects from the mysterious illness, didn’t provide the Celtics much more in a crushing 91-90 defeat at TD Garden.

Porzingis played just 14 minutes off the bench — just one minute more than he played in Game 1 — and he shot 3-for-5 from the field for eight points to go along with four rebounds. He finished as a minus-9.

“I’m dealing with some — I don’t know how to call it. I’m just not feeling my best. I’m not feeling my best at all,” Porzingis told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “It kills me inside that it’s happening in this moment.”

Like in Game 1, Porzingis looked sluggish on the court and admitted he’s having difficulty keeping up his energy.

Porzingis believes what he is dealing with now is related to the same virus he battled during the regular season, which caused him to miss eight straight games from February to March.

“Probably. I’ve had ups and downs throughout — up until this point,” Porzingis said. “Just now, had a big crash. My energy, my everything, just hasn’t been good. But who cares? I have to look forward and I know we’ll get better from this point on.”

The good news is that Porzingis bounced back in a big way following his absence in the regular season. The 7-foot-2 center averaged 21.1 points over his final 10 games in the regular season while shooting 51.1% from the field and 44.1% from 3-point range.

But Porzingis doesn’t have time on his side this time around to get better with the Knicks up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. And the timing of everything certainly isn’t lost on Porzingis.

“What I’m super appreciative about is the support that I have in inside (the organization), also probably from the fans. But especially here inside the organization,” Porzingis said. “This is a tough moment for me to not able able to be with the guys. It’s not no injury or nothing. Just not feeling my best. It’s tough for me, honestly. But who cares? Nobody feels sorry us, sorry for me and we have to keep going.”