NEW YORK — Kristaps Porzingis always enjoys coming back to Madison Square Garden, even if the fans there aren’t welcoming to him. He was once the Knicks’ promising young star, drafted to be the face of their future before he was suddenly traded in 2019. That makes him an enemy whenever he returns.

Porzingis knows this. He embraces it. On Wednesday night, it fueled him.

With 2:03 remaining in a tight season opener, Knicks fans got mad at him. Porzingis, after corralling a rebound, was fouled and inadvertently hit Isaiah Hartenstein with an elbow, sending him to the floor. The Garden erupted. “(Expletive) Porzingis!” chants filled the arena.

“I did not hear,” Porzingis said with a wry smile afterward.

Of course, he did. It didn’t bother him.

“For me it was fun,” Porzingis said. “I was just enjoying all of that and using it as motivation to make some big plays at the end. It was actually really, really fun tonight to play and be in that environment.”

It was only fitting that Porzingis was the one who willed the Celtics to their season-opening victory. Facing his former team, in the arena he called his first NBA home, Porzingis showcased so many of the ways he can be the difference-maker that propels Boston to a championship this season.

With the extra spacing he provides, he killed the Knicks with his shooting. He was a terror defensively, making fans forget about Robert Williams, as an elite rim protector as he finished with four blocks and several more stops. In crunch time, he showed he might be the piece that the Celtics had been missing in those late, tight moments as he scored nine consecutive points to close the victory.

When Jayson Tatum faced a double team and found Porzingis open for the ultimately decisive 3-pointer with 1:29 to go, Tatum stretched out both of his arms in celebration. Porzingis took the load off his shoulders.

“He just makes us that much more dynamic obviously with his size, ability to shoot, make plays off the dribble,” Tatum said. “When they double me late, make the right play, find an open man. Obviously he can shoot from wherever. I mean, he’s really good. He’s really, really good. We’re lucky to have him.”

The significance of coming through in crunch time wasn’t lost on Porzingis.

“It’s important, I think,” Porzingis said. “It’s important to show what my mindset is in tight games like this and probably showing them that I’ll be there. I’ll be there and do what I can on both ends. I think today was a good step for us to build that trust.”

Defensively, the Celtics flashed their potential on Wednesday. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday created some havoc as they forced some turnovers to get the Celtics in transition. Holiday helped shut down the bigger Julius Randle, who went just 5-for-22. The Celtics’ effort and togetherness on that end showed in crunch time as they consistently limited the Knicks to one shot and held them to just five points over the final four minutes.

Porzingis’ defense almost stood out more than his offense. He was the biggest reason why the Knicks struggled to have success inside, as they were held to 18-for-56 on two-point field goals.

Porzingis gave credit to the coaching staff for putting him in the right situations and positions on defense, an area he seems energized to show what he can do.

“KP is hungry and excited to be here,” Tatum said. “And knows how important he is to this team and what we need him to bring each and every night. It’s a sense of pride that we, everybody has to have on defense, right? We got some All-NBA defensive guys on this team, some guys that are capable of making that team. And essentially, you don’t want to be like the slouch out there, right? And KP is definitely holding his own and everybody individually wants to hold their own defense so we can be better as a unit. And that’s just a pride thing and effort.”

Other takeaways:

– Jaylen Brown struggled. He finished with 11 points and made some bad decisions throughout the night, including a costly sequence in the fourth when he committed two turnovers and a foul on a 3-pointer as the Knicks surged ahead. But he earned some credit for some of the Celtics’ late-game execution.

“It was just one game,” Tatum said. “We know how special he is. Everybody’s going to have not great shooting nights but he still impacted the game in other ways. He got some key rebounds and loose balls at the end to give us some more possessions. I’m not going to shoot the ball great some nights, KP’s not, but it’s all about how you impact the game in other ways. So JB’s going to be fine. He’s probably going to have a great game on Friday.”

– While Holiday looked great – as usual – defensively, he’s clearly still trying to get comfortable with the offense as he continues to build chemistry and learn tendencies with some new teammates after being traded less than a month ago.

“I think he’s still learning,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Especially when you’re out there with four guys that can dribble-drive, you gotta just find your opportunities to play and find your opportunities to space and find your opportunities to screen. We just gotta simplify it for him.”

– A big, necessary area of clean-up for the Celtics: They gave up 17 offensive rebounds to the Knicks, resulting in 20 second-chance points.

– Tatum has dealt with his fair share of injuries over the last few seasons, including his wrist and the ankle injury he suffered in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. He said before the season opener that his body feels good after a full summer off, and he looked fresh in the win over the Knicks as he finished with 34 points and 11 rebounds. He did commit four turnovers, though, including one that was nearly costly in the final minute as the C’s were trying to hold on.

“I had too many turnovers,” Tatum said. “It was the first game of the season, cut me some slack.”

– The Celtics reported zero injuries and are fully healthy for Friday’s home opener against the Heat.

Jade Tittle, the longtime midday host on 89.3 The Current, is leaving the station due in part to a stalker who served time for harassing former Current DJ Mary Lucia.

The decision, Tittle said, has been a while in the making. “It’s various reasons. I’ve had the same job for 15 years and I’m looking for some growth. The stalker does play into it. It’s been three years now (that he’s been harassing me) and I’ve got a month of court cases ahead of me. I’m taking some time to focus on taking care of myself.”

A St. Paul native, Tittle joined The Current as an overnight host in 2008. She was promoted to the midday slot in 2015 and has also spent the past three years serving as the Minnesota Public Radio station’s music director. Friday will be her final shift on air and she’ll continue working at the station until Nov. 10. She is not publicly discussing what her next job will be.

Patrick Henry Kelly, then of Eden Prairie, began stalking Lucia in March 2014, flooding her with a series of emails, gifts and calls to her personal cellphone number. That July, Lucia filed a restraining order against Kelly. In April 2015, Lucia took what became a seven-month leave of absence from the station.

At the time, Lucia wrote on The Current’s website: “My life over the last year has involved a series of restraining orders, seemingly endless calls to 911, the installation of security cameras at home, and police photo ID lineups. I’ve been constantly looking over my shoulder, dead-bolting doors and jumping when someone rings my doorbell or my motion lights go off.”

In December 2015, Kelly received probation and a five-year restraining order and was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $10,000. He was also sentenced to 270 days in the county workhouse but was released because of credit for time already served.

Tittle said Kelly first noticed her when she attended one of Lucia’s court appearances to support her friend. “Apparently he saw me and decided at that moment I was next for him. Since then it’s been pretty much nonstop. He spent some time in jail and as soon as he came out, he started up again.”

Much of the harassment has come through letters, Tittle said. “Some are sexual, some are creepy. A lot of it is him believing what I do on air is for him. He’s come to my house numerous times.”

Kelly stopped stalking Lucia, Tittle said, after she left The Current in 2022. “As soon as she was off air, it ended,” Tittle said. “He had been living near her and then he moved closer to me. That’s horrible for me, but it’s a load off her.”

According to court records, Kelly, now of Apple Valley, was convicted of felony stalking on June 17, 2022. A Ramsey County judge sentenced him to 28 months in prison and then stayed the term for four years, during which time he would be on supervised probation. As far as jail time, the judge did not give him any more than the 125 days he had already served after his arrest.

Tittle was back in court Thursday for a hearing on new charges. Kelly was being held at the Ramsey County jail in lieu of $95,000 bail. Kelly’s lawyer did not respond to a request for a comment.

‘Lucky to do it for so long’

Tittle, who only uses her first name on air, has never been as much of a public figure as some of her coworkers. “I’m a real introvert,” she said. “I’m very shy. So this is obviously a perfect job for me because you sit in a room by yourself. I like to be behind the scenes.”

During her time at The Current, Tittle has been the go-to when it came to new innovations. “I was the host who would try things out. I tried a podcast, I shot a bunch of videos in the early days. They sent me to Bonnaroo.”

She also has amassed many memories from her tenure, like the time she was on a Zoom call with Michael Stipe and he had to interrupt it to take a call from his mother. “Those kind of magical moments are great, but it’s also as simple as someone sending you an email telling you the song you just played made their day.

“There are so many beautiful memories wrapped in this place,” Tittle said. “Some of my best friends are people I worked with here. This job is such a joy, I was so lucky to do it for so long. It kind of feels selfish to hold onto it for too long. It does feel like there’s a new generation of people here and how wonderful it is to bring in some new voices and new perspectives. I’m hopeful for The Current and its future.”

Nick Ferraro contributed to this story.

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The man accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy and severely injuring his mother days after the Hamas attack was indicted by a Will County grand jury on hate crime, murder and other charges, prosecutors said Thursday.

Joseph Czuba, 71, faces three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of hate crime in connection with a knife attack that killed Wadea Al-Fayoume and left his mother, Hanaan Shahin, hospitalized.

Czuba, who was the family’s landlord, was pushed to attack his Muslim tenants at their shared at his unincorporated Plainfield Township home after listening to conservative talk radio discussion of the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, Will County prosecutors said during his Oct. 16 court hearing.

Judge Donald DeWilkins ordered Czuba held in custody. His next court hearing is set for Monday.

Czuba is accused of acting “exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior indicative of wanton cruelty” in his alleged actions toward Wadea and Shahin, per court records.

President Joe Biden mentioned Wadea by name last week during a prime-time speech where he condemned antisemitic and Islamophobic violence in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

Will County sheriff’s deputies responded to Shahin’s call that her landlord was attacking her with a knife the morning of Oct. 14. Officers found Shahin severely injured and Wadea stabbed 26 times.

Shahin was hospitalized at the time of her son’s funeral, which drew hundreds of people and elected officials to pay their respects.

PLAINFIELD, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 17: Sereena Baig leaves items at a memorial in front of the home where 6-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea Al-Fayoume was stabbed to death Saturday by his landlord on October 17, 2023 in Plainfield, Illinois. His mother, Hanaan Shahin, also suffered more than a dozen stab wounds and remains hospitalized. Police have said that the family was attacked because of their Muslim faith. Today his hometown held a vigil in his memory which drew more than a thousand people. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Thousands attended a vigil to honor Wadea’s life held the day after his funeral, where many condemned “hateful rhetoric” that allegedly pushed Czuba to attack the boy and his mother.

Federal authorities including the FBI and the Department of Justice’s the civil rights division are investigating the attack.

Illinois authorities are investigating other possible hate crimes and threats against Muslims that have occurred in recent weeks, including the case of a Lombard man who allegedly threatened to shoot two Muslim men outside his apartment building. A pair of Muslim schools in Bridgeview also kept students home last week after one of the institutions received a threatening letter that referenced Wadea’s death.

FORT WORTH, Texas — It’s been said that war makes for strange bedfellows.

Since the attacks on Israel by Hamas, the words and actions of groups as ideologically disparate as neo-Nazis in North Texas and progressive student organizations on elite college campuses suddenly sound and appear surprisingly alike.

Finding common ground in politics can be a remarkable feat, but today’s development isn’t something to be celebrated.

It’s a marriage of viewpoints borne out of unadulterated hatred.

Just a day after Hamas terrorists claimed more than 1,500 innocent lives in Israel, a swastika-clad neo-Nazi group made several appearances around Fort Worth.

It was like something out of the history books.

They boldly dined at a local taco joint; their presence caught on camera by a fellow diner.

They dropped anti-semitic fliers around the cultural district, perhaps emboldened by the events unfolding across the world.

While their appearance was “quiet” — there were no reports that the group marched or protested — their intent was clear.

They sought to spread a message of hate, one that deserved the condemnation it received from local leaders.

Many on the political left like to point to such incidents as evidence that all the ideological extremism is concentrated on the far right.

But the viewpoints this group espoused are far from isolated. What’s more is that they are hardly limited to the people who share their political affiliation.

In the days after the Hamas attacks, college campuses all over the nation were flooded with protests and demonstrations by progressive student groups gathering in shocking numbers in support of the terrorists.

Through marches and issued statements, they have justified and even championed the attacks, claiming that those who callously slaughtered Israeli civilians in their homes, killed and kidnapped children and elderly, and committed atrocities so brutal they defy imagination, were freedom fighters pursuing “decolonization.”

These students may not wear swastikas, but they have adopted the symbol of a paraglider, representative of Hamas attackers who entered Israel to kill civilians at a concert via air assault. And their message is not any different than their khaki-clad, arm-band wearing, white nationalist peers.

They blame the Jewish people for the conflict in Israel and advocate for their destruction.

Indeed, a letter signed by more than 30 campus groups at Harvard University declared that Israel is “entirely responsible for all unfolding violence” happening in the region.

At the University of Virginia, which infamously became a flash point between white nationalist and antifa protests only six years ago, the group Students for Justice in Palestine unequivocally declared its support for Palestinian resistance “by whatever means they deem necessary.”

What might that mean other than unqualified support for the slaughter of civilians?

How does this differ from the message of a neo-nazi group?

It doesn’t.

The horseshoe theory asserts that the political spectrum is not linear, but wraps around. The far-left and far-right, rather than being on opposing sides, are actually quite similar.

Recent events suggest this is theory no more, but our political reality.

Right and left are united in hate.

For those of us in the “middle,” it’s time to call out and push back on both extremes with equal fervor.

Cynthia M. Allen is a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Readers may send her email at cmallen@star-telegram.com.