Boston Celtics veteran big man Al Horford said the team was impacted by the loss of Kristaps Porzingis in Game 1 against Knicks.

The Boston Celtics are sticking with Al Horford as their starting center for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Saturday, even though Kristaps Porzingis is available to play. Porzingis has been fighting an illness and was limited in the Celtics' two losses to the New York Knicks in Boston.

After returning from foot surgery at the beginning of the year, Porzingis’ return has had mixed results. Despite being fairly efficient when he played, the starting five with Horford has flourished with a +17.7 net rating in the regular season — that’s the highest efficiency of any fivesome with over 250 minutes played.