Kristaps Porzingis Stats Tonight: How did the Celtics star fare against LA Clippers? (Nov. 25)
Kristaps Porzingis made his season debut for the Boston Celtics on Monday against the LA Clippers. On the second night of a back-to-back set, Boston didn’t have Al Horford (illness) and Luke Kornet (hamstring) which might have contributed to Porzingis' return. He underwent surgery in June to fix an issue that bothered the Latvian in the NBA Finals.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla promptly started Porzingis but limited the star center’s minutes. Despite playing only 13 minutes, he contributed eight points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks in the first half.
Porzingis had a big role in the defending champs’ 51-29 advantage in the second quarter. The Boston Celtics took a 78-49 lead at halftime behind the team’s dazzling display in the second period.
Porzingis scored six of the 21 points the Boston Celtics labored to put up in the third quarter. He added two rebounds and continued to alter shots near the rim. Porzingis also missed two wide-open 3-pointers.
The former All-Star started in the fourth quarter but was taken off for good by Joe Mazzulla after roughly three minutes. Following an alley-oop dunk off a nifty pass from Payton Pritchard, Porzingis was done for the night.
Kristaps Porzingis impacted both ends of the floor in Celtics' 126-94 win over LA Clippers
Over the last four games, the LA Clippers limited their opponents below 99 points. The Boston Celtics smashed that defense with 126 points, the second-highest mark the Clippers have given up this season. Kristaps Porzingis had something to do with the visitor's lopsided loss.
With the versatile center on the floor, Ivica Zubac had to stay on him in the perimeter. Zubac's absence or hesitation to clog the paint opened the lane for Boston's rim attackers. When the Celtics' inside game hummed, the shooters had room to shoot.
Boston's 22-for-51 clip from deep was crucial in the Celtics' win. LA, which shot 7-for-26, couldn't match the defending champs.
Kristaps Porzingis was also valuable on the defensive end. He had two blocks but changed a few more at the rim. Porzingis can protect the rim much better than any of the Celtics bigs. He had a rough-shooting night, but his rim protection already stood out.