Luke Kornet delivered for the Celtics off the bench in Game 5 — recording seven blocks over 26 minutes of play.

The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum and written off by some, but that talk is on hold after they controlled Game 5 to extend the series.

Lots of teams have rallied in the first game after a devastating injury. The Celtics' challenge will be summoning the same emotion in Game 6.

Before the Boston Celtics took the floor without their biggest star on a night they had to win, Joe Mazzulla implored his players to just pour everything they had into winning one game.

But then there's backup big man Luke Kornet, whose modest numbers (6.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.0 blocks) belie his ability to soak up minutes in the middle respectably. What the Celtics have gotten from Kornet in a do-or-die Game 5 situation, though, has been jaw-dropping.

The Celtics had no easy fix to replace Jayson Tatum entering their do-or-die Game 5 matchup against the Knicks on Wednesday night. Joe Mazzulla began the game by reinserting Kristaps Porzingis into the starting five in place of Tatum despite the big man’s ineffective play for much of the series due to illness.

Josh Hart had to leave the court in the first quarter after his face started pouring with blood, in an unfortunate incident for the New York Knicks star in Game 5