The 20-year-old Latvian forward – taken with the number one pick in the 2015 Draft – has tallied six double-doubles in his first 14 games in the National Basketball Association. Porzingis, who grew up in Latvia, was a teenager far from home, and he appreciated her. So whenever Sevilla went on a trip, Porzingis would return with a gift for her – a box of chocolates, say, if the team had traveled to Belgium. “Nobody had ever seen him before and people were all so upset that the Knicks drafted him”.
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Thanks in part to Porzingis, the Knicks have won four straight for the first time since the final four games of the 2013-14 season. In particular, his unexpected strength and tenacity allow him to compete against a few of the league’s toughest big men-something most pundits agreed would not be the case during his rookie campaign. On June 25th, Knick fans around the world were banging walls, burning jerseys, and creating YouTube videos about the pure ludicrousness of picking the big man. On November 19th, today, Knicks fans around the world are remorseful, and kissing the feet of their new superstar.
But Jackson also said something that, after Saturday night’s game in Houston, is starting to look nearly prophetic. The last Knicks’ win over the Rockets was on January, 26, 2009, at Madison Square Garden and their last win in Houston was on November, 18, 2004. “He’s not trying to impress everybody and show ‘I’m capable of doing certain things.’ I think he’s doing his best to play the game, and whatever presents itself, he’s taking advantage of it”.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Porzingis joins four other rookies in the past 20 seasons to post at 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in the same game. Anthony picked up his fourth foul less than three minutes into the third and went to the bench for the rest of the quarter.
Melo plays decoy: Something happened on Saturday that’s only occurred twice in the past 12 months: Carmelo Anthony played 25 minutes and took less than 11 shots.
Finally, and maybe the most significant, Porzingis adds enthusiasm and an incredible work ethic to an aging Knicks franchise. Porzingis had 10 points in that quarter on 4-of-5 shooting, including two 3s. The Rockets fall to 1-2 under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and 5-9 overall. “When we were with the Lakers, Mike was always saying if there was any way to get Jeremy Lin we should try to do it”, Clifford said. “We’ve got to get stops”.
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Before Saturday, the Knicks were 1-19 against Houston over the past decade. Cleanthony Early (healthy scratch) was inactive for a sixth consecutive game…. Behind these victories were a couple of decent fourth-quarter performances, a rarity for NY this year. The Jets visit the Houston Texans on Sunday. By the fourth game of Gasol’s career, he scored 27 points against Phoenix and in his next game he scored 24 against the Clippers.
