The Boston Celtics were defeated by the New York Knicks 108-105 in Game 1 of their playoffs series on Monday. The difficult game for the Celtics saw Kristaps Porzingis exit early due to an illness. After the defeat, head coach Joe Mazzulla provided an update on the big man, via Noa Dalzell of Celtics on CLNS.

“Haven't seen him yet,” Mazzulla said during his postgame press conference. “We will check on him… Hopefully he's ready for Game 2.”

Celtics hoping Kristaps Porzingis can make Game 2 return

As Mazzulla said, the Celtics are obviously hoping he can play in Game 2. The Celtics cannot afford to lose a second consecutive game at home in the playoffs. Going down 0-2 would not necessarily be an impossible deficit to fight back from, but it would be difficult to say the least.

Boston earned an NBA Finals victory for a reason a year ago, though. The Celtics understand what it takes to get the job done in the postseason. The Knicks, however, also received valuable playoff experience a season ago, and they feature enough talent to upset the reigning champions.

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The series projects to be competitive, especially if Game 1 is any indication of what is to come. This series may end up lasting all seven games.

Porzingis' status has yet to be revealed for the game. His impact on the team is pivotal given his versatility as a big man. He makes things happen on defense while being able to stretch the floor on the offensive end.

The team will provide updates on Kristaps Porzingis' status as they are made available ahead of Game 2.

The Celtics and Knicks will go head-to-head in Boston once again in Game 2 on Wednesday night in what will likely be another exciting affair. Tip-off for the contest is scheduled for 7 PM EST at the TD Garden.