Kristaps Porzingis
Entering the fourth quarter, Kristaps Porzingis was shooting just 4-of-12 from the field. He had an essentially productive first half, but was a non-factor during the third quarter as he struggled to find his shot.
Porzingis proceeded to step up in the fourth quarter with a number of big shots that helped New York gain separation and close out.
Porzingis finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, one offensive board, one assist, two blocks, and two steals in 31 minutes. He shot 9-of-22 from the field, 2-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-5 from the free throw line.
More importantly, he was clutch in conventional and under-appreciated ways.
It wasn’t just that Porzingis stepped up with a number of timely shots in the fourth quarter; his 10 first-half points helped New York remain within striking distance. He hit a pair of 3s in a span of 24 seconds in the fourth quarter and never slowed down.
Porzingis still has work to do from within the 3-point line, but his shooting from beyond the arc has been crucial to team success.
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It wasn’t the prettiest performance, but the Knicks got the job done behind the efforts of these players.