Porzingis has arrived in the National Basketball Association.
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Porzingis posted 24 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks to help extend the Knicks’ winning streak on the road in Houston.
A new Kristaps Porzingis nickname is going to be needed soon. The Knicks improved to 8-6, giving them almost half of last year’s final win total of 17. What was unusual about this game was how the Rockets dominated the points in the paint without Dwight Howard on the floor (42-20). I don’t want any credit for that. “I didn’t get pissed when I was booed on draft night”.
So far, Porzingis has kept his word. Aaron Afflalo chipped in 16 points while Carmelo Anthony finished with 14. Lin never even excelled at practice, contrary to Porzingis always working hard. Porzingis’ two late free throws sealed the Knicks’ 102-94 victory as fans filled Madison Square Garden with chants of his last name. The belief is there are more great nights for him to come. “I wasn’t expecting it to be right now”. Few players could have been a more flawless fit for NY. Carmelo Anthony, the team’s 31-year-old franchise player who had just agreed to a $124-million contract, had undergone season-ending surgery on his left knee in February.
Knicks shooting guard Arron Afflalo is highly impressed, too. It could’ve been a really nice 5-1 record if they’d kept that game, but 4-2 will get it done. Kristaps Porzingis has started off very well for the Knicks after being a top five draft pick and he has quickly become a fan favorite for fans.
It’s a safe guess that Knicks-Heat was a big draw in Slovenia on Monday night.
The teams met for the first time since the Cavaliers swept the Hawks in the playoffs, and it didn’t take long for Cleveland to continue its dominance (see full recap). Because of the ways he backs it up. They’re saying yeah, but look at his sweet shot instead. It’s good that Miami has a 6-foot-11 smart defender in Chris Bosh to match up with Porzingis.
Porzingis’ reaction: “Yeah. I saw it….” He sat out the second game of the back-to-back to rest. “That fired me up”. I know the buzz in the stadium whenever we play each other, especially when both teams are good.
“These past two seasons I was playing in Spain, I used to have ups and downs”, he said. Just a scorer. A guy who figured if he put up 40, it was cool if he took some defensive plays off. Tyler Johnson scored 12, and Hassan Whiteside had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
“He is for real”, Nowitzki said. “But by that time we were already in the hole”. “In this game I think it was fitting that there wasn’t a quote-unquote star of the game”. [But] in my opinion, worldwide players have long proven they’re some of the best players in the world.
“I understand the whole dynamic here in Miami”, he said. This was the best the Rockets’ offense has looked all season. He can play basketball.
Viewed through the prism of what Porzingis, now 20, has done for the Knicks, highlighted by his 29-point scoring burst against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night, stories likes these run the risk of bleeding into hagiography.
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“But you can see he’s getting more comfortable each game”, Fisher said. Yes, a skinny white Eastern European kid wearing cornrows is a little odd, but Knicks fans – well, first of all they find the picture above hilarious, but it’s also proof that Porzingis is the one. Porzingis admitted that he felt indifferent towards the moniker from the moment that Roth bestowed it upon him. But Porzingis insisted afterward that the move still needs work. During one stretch, Durant was shuttled back-and-forth between the opposite 3-point lines, required to make five consecutive 3-pointers before he could stop.
