The Boston Celtics will start their series against the New York Knicks on May 5. Among the most marquee individual matchups will be between their starting centers, Kristaps Porzingis and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Both are stretch bigs who entered the NBA at the same time in 2015. They quickly proved how impressive they were offensively for their size. The Celtics vs. Knicks playoff series will mark the first time they’ve played each other in the playoffs.
Porzingis himself is aware of the challenge ahead for both him and the Celtics when going up against Towns, who has been quite good since the Knicks traded for him just before the season started.
While talking with reporters on Saturday, Porzingis praised Towns while talking about how the Celtics will defend him.
“He’s a tough matchup,” Porzingis told reporters, per Celtics on CLNS. “With his shooting and with his talent offensively, he’s a tough matchup for anybody, and it’s going to take a team effort to stop him.”
“With his talent offensively, he’s a tough matchup for anybody and it’s going to take a team effort to stop him”
-Kristaps Porzingis on taking on the challenge of guarding Karl Anthony Towns pic.twitter.com/QjHaFSI2PZ
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) May 3, 2025
Towns put up fantastic numbers in his first season with the Knicks, averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds to go with 52.6% shooting from the field and 42% shooting from three. In the Knicks’ first-round series against the Pistons, Towns averaged 19.7 points and 10 rebounds a game while shooting 48.9% from the field and 48% from three.
Going up against Towns could be Porzingis’ chance to redeem himself, as he did not have the best series against the Orlando Magic. In five games, he averaged 12 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 35.2% from the field and 11.8% from three. Outplaying Towns in this series could help many forget his performance against the Magic.
Related: Celtics Star Sends Knicks Message After 4-0 Season Sweep
Related: Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns Sends Clear Message Before Celtics Game
The Boston Celtics will start their series against the New York Knicks on May 5. Among the most marquee individual matchups will be between their starting centers, Kristaps Porzingis and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Both are stretch bigs who entered the NBA at the same time in 2015. They quickly proved how impressive they were offensively for their size. The Celtics vs. Knicks playoff series will mark the first time they’ve played each other in the playoffs.
Porzingis himself is aware of the challenge ahead for both him and the Celtics when going up against Towns, who has been quite good since the Knicks traded for him just before the season started.
While talking with reporters on Saturday, Porzingis praised Towns while talking about how the Celtics will defend him.
“He’s a tough matchup,” Porzingis told reporters, per Celtics on CLNS. “With his shooting and with his talent offensively, he’s a tough matchup for anybody, and it’s going to take a team effort to stop him.”
“With his talent offensively, he’s a tough matchup for anybody and it’s going to take a team effort to stop him”
-Kristaps Porzingis on taking on the challenge of guarding Karl Anthony Towns pic.twitter.com/QjHaFSI2PZ
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) May 3, 2025
Towns put up fantastic numbers in his first season with the Knicks, averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds to go with 52.6% shooting from the field and 42% shooting from three. In the Knicks’ first-round series against the Pistons, Towns averaged 19.7 points and 10 rebounds a game while shooting 48.9% from the field and 48% from three.
Going up against Towns could be Porzingis’ chance to redeem himself, as he did not have the best series against the Orlando Magic. In five games, he averaged 12 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 35.2% from the field and 11.8% from three. Outplaying Towns in this series could help many forget his performance against the Magic.
Related: Celtics Star Sends Knicks Message After 4-0 Season Sweep
Related: Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns Sends Clear Message Before Celtics Game
