NBA Player News

Towns finished Friday's 119-81 victory over the Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with 21 points (8-20 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist and one steal in 35 minutes.

Towns dominated the undermanned Celtics, racking up his seventh double-double in the past eight games. Although his scoring average has come down during the playoffs, his importance to this team is non-negotiable. After averaging 23.8 points per game during the regular season, that number has dropped to 19.8 across 12 postseason games. The Knicks will now face the Pacers in what promises to be a spicy matchup, with both teams looking to advance to the big dance.

Horford posted 10 points (4-7 FG, 2-4 3Pt) and two rebounds in 27 minutes during Friday's 119-81 loss to the Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Horford didn't have a tangible impact, going down with the ship as Boston was bundled out of the playoffs. Tasked with playing a bigger role than expected during the postseason due to the fact that Kristaps Porzingis was dealing with an ongoing illness, Horford had some moments but was largely a wash, at best. He played 60 games during the regular season, averaging 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game.

Kornet chipped in five points (2-3 FG, 1-1 FT), five rebounds, one assist and one block over 21 minutes during Friday's 119-81 loss to the Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Kornet drew the start in place of Kristaps Porzingis, who has been battling an illness for quite a while. Unlike his heroic Game 5, however, Kornet wasn't able to produce an encore performance in the blowout loss. Kornet, who is set to become a free agent, should draw considerable interest this offseason. During the regular season, Kornet appeared in 73 games and averaged 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks in 18.6 minutes.

Porzingis closed Friday's 119-81 loss to New York in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with four points (1-4 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five rebounds and one block across 11 minutes.

Throughout the postseason, and especially in this series, it's been very evident that Porzingis is far from 100 percent. The franchise will be hopeful that he can recover his health over the long offseason. Although he had his fair share of injuries in the regular season, Porzingis was terrific when healthy, as he averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks in 42 regular-season contests.

Robinson racked up one point (1-2 FT), four rebounds and one steal in 14 minutes during Friday's 119-81 win over Boston in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

While his box score won't reflect it, Robinson was a menace on the defensive end Friday. The Knicks are essentially using an eight-man rotation in the playoffs, and that's likely to be the case against Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals. In 12 postseason games, Robinson holds averages of 4.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 18.5 minutes.

Tillman closed Friday's 119-81 loss to the Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with two points (1-4 FG, 0-2 3Pt) and three rebounds in eight minutes.

Tillman made his first appearance of the postseason Friday with the Celtics getting run out of the building. Playing in his second season with Boston, Tillman was used very sparingly, as he appeared in 33 regular-season contests and averaged 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.0 minutes. Tillman is owed $2.5 million in 2025-26 for the final year of his deal.

Queta accumulated two points (1-2 FG), one rebound and one steal over four minutes during Friday's 119-81 loss to New York in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Queta made juts his fourth appearance of the postseason Friday due to the lopsided score. Playing in his fourth NBA season, Queta compiled regular-season averages of 5.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 13.9 minutes across 62 appearances. Queta is under contract for two more years and is likely to be an emergency depth option for the Celtics in 2025-26 as things stand right now.

Porzingis is not in the starting lineup for Game 6 against the Knicks on Friday.

Porzingis has struggled massively in the series and was outplayed by Luke Kornet in the Game 5 win Wednesday, so it's not entirely surprising to see the former move to a bench role. Porzingis is averaging 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds across 16.4 minutes per game in the series while starting in just two of the six outings.

Kornet is in the starting lineup for Game 6 against the Knicks on Friday.

Kornet was outstanding for Boston in the Game 5 win while finishing with 10 points (5-5 FG), nine rebounds, one assist, seven blocks and one steal in 26 minutes. Given all the struggles Kristaps Porzingis has endured in the series, starting Kornet after he delivered such an impressive stat line in Game 5 makes sense for the Celtics. They'll ride the hot hand for this do-or-die game.

Hartenstein had eight points (4-4 FG) and six rebounds over 25 minutes during Thursday's 119-107 loss to the Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

Hartenstein picked up four fouls in 25 minutes, while his replacement, Jaylin Williams, had four fouls in 14 minutes with both players doing their best to slow Nikola Jokic down. Overall, Hartenstein has been terrific in this series, putting up 11.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals on 57.4 percent shooting from the field.