It was a nasty replay to watch as he laid on the ground writhing in pain. He went up for a layup, got fouled and turned his left ankle as he landed. While the Wizards got Porzingis back, they lost point guard Raul Neto to a left ankle injury in the first half. If that's the case, he certainly made the Wizards pay for overlooking him. Given his pedestrian season numbers, he may have been fairly low on the scouting report. That allowed him to establish a rhythm and the Wizards had to respect his three, so he used pump fakes to get past defenders and attack the rim. The Wizards left him a little too open early in the game and he capitalized by knocking down a few shots. They had absolutely no answer for him in the first half, as he tied a career-high in points by halftime with 17 on a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 3-for-3 from long range.īitadze slowed down in the second half and finished the game with 20 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes. He was an unstoppable force against the Wizards, for whatever reason. Third-year big man Goga Bitadze averages only 4.7 points per game and shoots 20% from three, but you wouldn't have known that if you only watched this game. Bryant's best path towards minutes at the moment may be playing alongside Porzingis, which Unseld Jr. While Bryant's offense is a plus, Porzingis also hits threes and at a higher volume.
They are the only pair of teammates in the NBA this season averaging at least 1.5 blocks per game apiece, and the first two Wizards teammates to do so since Brendan Haywood and JaVale McGee in 2009-10. With Porzingis and Gafford as the one-two punch at center, the Wizards have two players who can block shots, which should give their defense some stability on the backend.
took Gafford out of the starting lineup and put him in the role he thrived in down the stretch of last season. Daniel Gafford instead got the backup center minutes. The 24-year-old big man was bumped from the rotation entirely, as he got a DNP for the first time since he returned in January from his ACL recovery. Porzingis coming back produced a shakeup in the Wizards' rotation which affected Thomas Bryant more than anyone. He and Porzingis are two guys who will likely need to lead the way in that regard, though Rui Hachimura also seems like someone who could get to the line quite a bit if he sets his mind to it. That did not, however, enjoy much of an advantage in that category as the Pacers shot 25-for-29.įor the Wizards, Kyle Kuzma (23 points) also helped the cause by going 5-for-7 at the line, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (19 points) shot 6-for-7. The Wizards went 26-for-32 from the line as a team, which was a big step in the right direction. He kept getting to the line by aggressively attacking the rim and forcing the issue. Porzingis had six free-throw attempts himself by the midpoint of the first quarter. They had only nine of them in their last game, a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, and only six in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last week.
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One area Porzingis helped the Wizards tremendously was by generating free throw attempts. Great early signs from their two-man game.
Play of the game: Deni Avdija finds Kristaps Porzingis for an emphatic alley-oop. He looked like the best player on the court for much of the night. If that was a sign of more to come, the Wizards should have a chance to win some games down the stretch of this season. The Wizards were able to get Porzingis a game under his belt before they head out on a lengthy West Coast road trip. He looked spry and sharp, not like a guy who missed over a month with a right knee injury. Porzingis was excellent in 21 minutes of work, pouring in 25 points (7-for-12 FG, 3-for-4 3PT) with five rebounds and two blocks, including one on Buddy Hield at a key moment late in the fourth quarter. Washington trailed by four points at halftime, but took advantage with a 39-to-26 edge in the third quarter. Not only did Porzingis play, he played well and was a key contributor in a Wizards victory. The Wizards have been through some difficult times over the past several months since their 10-3 start, with far too many low points to count, but Sunday was certainly a high point with the long-awaited debut of Kristaps Porzingis, their most significant acquisition at the Feb. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
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