NBA hostile foul rules 2023-24: Taking closer look after Kristaps Porzingis-Hartenstein incident in Celtics vs Knicks

It was a rowdy Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden when the newly acquired Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis faced off against his first NBA team the New York Knicks.

It was a hostile crowd at the Garden, and Knicks fans gave their worst chants after Porzingis haad got into an unintentional altercation with Isaiah Hartenstein.

Kristaps Porzingis went up for the rebound and landed in front of Hartenstein. On landing, Hartenstein wanted to snatch the ball away from Porzingis but ended up grabbing his arms instead.

Naturally, Kristaps attempted to break free from the hold, which led to a nasty right elbow to Hartenstein's jaw. The Celtics big man was called for a technical foul after reviewing the footage.

However, the referees shouldn't have called a technical foul on the play. In the first place, if it wasn't for the way Hartenstein grabbed Porizingis' body, an elbow to the face could have been prevented.

Porzingis was only trying to escape the hold. Based on the big man's body language, there was nothing malicious. It was only an accident waiting to happen.

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Kristaps Porzingis pops off on Celtics debut

New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics

Kristaps Porzingis came up with a masterful debut for the Boston Celtics. Going up against his former team the New York Knicks, Porzingis went into beast mode, which translated into a 108-104 Celtics win.

The big man scored 30 points, grabbed eight rebounds and swatted four shots. It was an All-Star-like performance from Porzingis, which is something Boston fans hope to see all season.

Helping Porzingis notch up a Celtics victory on opening night was none other than Jayson Tatum, who put up a double-double performance. Tatum had an all-around game by adding 34 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. Of course, it was expected, considering how Tatum puts up stellar performances for Boston.

Based on what we've seen so far, Kristaps Porzingis has won the hearts of many Celtics fans. If he continues to perform the way he did on Wednesday, Boston could be back in the finals in the 2024 playoffs.