Kristaps Porzingis on his rocky start to Mavs’ playoffs: ‘Trying to keep my head in the right place’
Mavs #Mavs
As the second half of the Mavericks’ Game 3 unfolded Friday night, it became clear the Clippers weren’t going to wilt as they had in the first two games in the first round series.
So, many watching the Mavericks started to wonder the same.
If Dallas were to overcome their second consecutive halftime deficit to extend their series lead to 3-0, they’d need someone besides Luka Doncic to find a rhythm on offense.
Who might it be?
The short answer: No Mavericks came close to matching Doncic’s playoff career-best 44 points in the 118-108 loss.
But Kristaps Porzingis, in particular, was uncharacteristically idle in production.
Porzingis finished with nine points, three rebounds, four assists and one steal in 34 minutes. He shot 3 of 10 from the field, including 1 of 4 from three. At times, the Clippers appeared to target him on defense as they scored 48 points in the paint.
The 25-year-old center said after the game he wasn’t pressing during a stagnant second half, but admitted he has felt “frustrated” in trying to find a consistent rhythm and role throughout the series, especially when the Clippers have played smaller lineups and he’s missed open shots.
“Below what I can do, obviously,” Porzingis said when asked how he assessed his performance. “Just frustrated at moments and trying to keep my head in the right place where I keep doing things I can do on the defensive end and offensive rebounds and things like that to keep myself engaged and giving what I can to the team.
“So yeah, just [a] long game, a lot of emotions, but try to stay calm and just do the things that I’m capable of doing.”
Rewind to the first quarter Friday night, and Porzingis, like many of the Mavericks, appeared primed for a dominant night.
Three minutes in, he hit a close jumper for his first bucket, drawing a foul from Kawhi Leonard in the process, and then converted the three-point play. Two possessions later, he sank a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to give Dallas a 16-6 lead.
But like the Mavericks’ early advantage, which reached 19 points just over seven minutes into the game, Porzingis’ presence whittled for the remainder of the game.
Porzingis attempted just two more shots for the remainder of the half.
Might his 3-pointer on the Mavericks’ first possession out of halftime signaled a personal reboot?
Quite the opposite.
It was Porzingis’ lone field-goal attempt of the third quarter and his final points in the run of play. He went 0 of 4 in the fourth quarter and made his one free throw.
“Just frustrated a little bit with the shots not going in,” Porzingis said. “But then again, I can’t really let that affect the rest of my game.”
After Game 2, when he scored 20 points and shot 66.7% from the field, Porzingis likened his offensive role in the series to being a “decoy” to space the Mavericks’ offense, creating extra room for Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. to continue their torrid scoring trends.
The Clippers have elected to guard Porzingis with defensive stalwart Leonard, and that’s allowed Doncic flexibility to manipulate switches and overwhelm point guard Patrick Beverley and center Ivica Zubac.
But Porzingis didn’t capitalize when he served as the Mavericks’ offensive focal point during Doncic’s spells on the bench Friday.
In the fourth quarter, the Clippers turned to small lineups. They played two point guards (Rajon Rondo and Reggie Jackson) at once and shifted 6-8 Marcus Morris Sr. to center.
Against that defensive scheme, Porzingis missed two post-up looks, an approach Carlisle has long derided for his 7-3 unicorn, clanged a 3-pointer and committed one turnover in a five-minute span.
“We’re a spacing team first and when we get good deep post up opportunities those are ones we got to attack,” Carlisle said. “But part of the challenge with him is that he’s a very good cutter. He’s a very good spacer, and so he needs to play the game out of reads in movement. Overall our offensive movement wasn’t very good.”