They came out of 2015 draft class each with a similar skill set and now face each other in an Eastern Conference semi.

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 went from 65 losses to drafting Porzingis to a .500 record through his first 40 games. He was running neck-and-neck for Rookie of the Year with, coincidentally, Karl-Anthony Towns ...

"Porzingis unlocks Boston’s most dangerous mode," Katz wrote. "Towns, assuming he starts on Porzingis, will need to stray far beyond the 3-point arc to close out on deep 3s. Porzingis ...

In the second quarter against Boston on Saturday, Karl-Anthony Towns and Luke Kornett were battling for a rebound around the basket ... Through three games in this series, Kristaps Porzingis is ...

In the second quarter against Boston on Saturday, Karl-Anthony Towns and Luke Kornett were ... Through three games in this series, Kristaps Porzingis is averaging just a little more than 15 ...

Porzingis averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game and finished second in NBA Rookie of the Year voting, behind only Karl-Anthony Towns, then of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Kristaps Porzingis previously admitted that the virus that caused him to miss time in March impacted his performance through the first two games of the Celtics’ series against the Knicks.

BOSTON — In March, an upper respiratory illness cost Kristaps Porzingis eight games ... Not many positives in ugly loss Karl-Anthony Towns battles through murky finger injury in Game 3 Vaccaro ...

BOSTON — While Kristaps Porzingis was upgraded to available ahead ... shooting 2-for-11 from the field as Karl-Anthony Towns also went at him on multiple possessions. So those are all factors ...