Celtics star sends heartfelt message to booing Knicks fans due to…
Kristaps Porzingis quieted the New York Knicks fans’ raucous boos with another big-time performance as he remained unbeaten against his former team in a Boston Celtics jersey.
Porzingis backstopped Jaylen Brown’s 30 points with 22 on an efficient 7 of 11 shooting with 4 rebounds and 4 assists as the Celtics hammered a shorthanded Knicks team 116-102 on Saturday, February 24, before another soldout crowd at Madison Square Garden.
“I enjoy [the boos] to be honest,” Porzingis told reporters after the game. “They kind of went down in my years in Washington, but still getting booed. I feel like now they’ve ramped up again a little bit with me being with the Celtics and having this kind of rivalry with the Knicks.”
Porzingis was jeered during the player’s introduction with loud boos. Then the home crowd cheered when Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein blocked his first attempt just 39 seconds into the game. But Porzingis and the Celtics quickly rained down those boos as they shredded the Knicks defense with a sizzling 56.8% shooting from the field and 42.9% from long distance.
“As I always say, I prefer any kind of emotion over no emotion,” Porzingis said of the Knicks crowd reception. “So it’s either cheers or our boos, I want it and tonight was no different. Big game. [National] TV game. Fans were into it. And then we just took care of business.”
For Porzingis, who spent his first three-and-a-half seasons with the Knicks as a former lottery pick, the result is all that matters.
Kristaps Porzingis Looks Forward to Playoff Matchup with Knicks
With a 3-0 record against the Knicks this season, Porzingis has their numbers. He’s become the Knicks’ biggest thorn, averaging 21.3 points on 58% from the field and 56% from deep with 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks against them this season.
The Latvian big man would welcome a playoff matchup against his former team.
“I think it’s healthy,” Porzingis said via New York Post before the game. “I don’t mind it. It’s passion. Knicks fans are passionate. Especially if we see them in the playoffs, for example, it’s gonna be a crazy environment and crazy emotions, so I look forward to that.”
With the 45-12 Celtics having the best record in the league and the 34-23 Knicks clinging to the fourth seed while 3 of their starters are on the mend, their paths are likely to collide in the playoffs.
“We’re gonna be there for sure, there’s definitely gonna be some [playoff] matchups in the future,” Porzingis said via New York Post.
Julius Randle and OG Anunoby Injury Updates
For the Knicks to stand a chance against the Celtics, they would need their roster at full strength.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski shared updates on Knicks key starters Julius Randle (dislocated shoulder) and OG Anunoby (elbow surgery) on their road to recovery.
“[Randle’s] inclination is to play,” Wojnarowski said on the “NBA Countdown” before the game. “And it is to play even if he’s hurt and in some discomfort. That’s his goal right now — to try to get back and play and put anything off to the offseason. But that’s still fluid that’s not been fully decided.
“But OG Anunoby, that’s better news on that front. … I’m told he is right on schedule. There have not been any setbacks. They’ll re-evaluate him at the end of next week, and then the hope is he starts to get back on the court then.”
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ristaps Porzingis was grinning ear to ear after starring in the Boston Celtics‘ 108-104 comeback win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
“It’s an awesome feeling to come back, now being a Celtic, and play here,” Porzingis told reporters via NBC Boston. “Even getting booed and getting all that, it’s still cool. I really like that and enjoy that.”
“F**k Porzingis” chants echoed at his old stomping grounds, the Madison Square Garden, after his elbow struck Knicks backup center Isaiah Hartenstein with 2:03 left in the fourth quarter.
That incident triggered a 9-5 closing run for the Celtics. Porzingis scored nine of Boston’s last 11 points to haunt his former team.
“Of course here, if you’re not with New York, you’re the enemy,” Porzingis told reporters via NBC Boston. “I understand that part completely. “I miss this place and I wish nothing but the best for this organization.”
Porzingis, the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, earned his first All-Star berth with the Knicks. But his messy exit in 2019 (he was traded to Dallas) made him a Garden villain.
The 7-foot-3 Latvian punished the Knicks with 30 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including five 3-pointers. He added eight rebounds and four swats in a scintillating Celtics debut, proving they made the right gamble swapping him for Marcus Smart.
Porzingis was popping on offense from way above the 3-point arc that had the Knicks bigs — Mitchell Robinson, Hartenstein and Julius Randle — scrambling on defense. He terrorized the Knicks in the paint with nasty rejections and several altered shots.
Misfiring Knicks Stars
Despite Porzingis and Jayson Tatum combining for 64 points, the Knicks kept in lockstep with the Celtics until they faded down the stretch.
They even held a six-point lead in the final four minutes.
But they shot themselves in the foot, with Randle and Jalen Brunson combining to shoot 11-of-43 from the field. It did not help that the Knicks missed a dozen free throws in a tightly contested game.
Randle finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. But he only shot 5-of-22 in his first official game back from an ankle surgery in the offseason. He was game-worst minus-13. Brunson could not shake off Jrue Holiday’s defense, hitting only 6-of-21 from the floor. He registered a second-team-worst minus-9 rating.
Julius Randle Shuts Down Trade Rumors
As the Knicks start to dream big following their best season in a decade, they have been linked to Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid.
Randle was floated as part of the potential package for the reigning MVP.
“We’ve been in every one since I’ve been here, good or bad,” Randle said via Newsday’s Steve Popper. “It’s always a rumor.”
A day before their opening night to the Celtics, a Philadelphia Inquirer report named him, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Evan Fournier as the potential trade baits for the Knicks in their pursuit of Embiid.
“A trio from that group would be paired with two or three first-round picks,” Philadelphia Inquirer’s 76ers beat reporter Keith Pompey reported.
Randle’s performance this season will be under heavy scrutiny, with the Embiid rumors putting more pressure on his broad shoulders.
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