Kristaps Porzingis notches 34-point double-double against his former team
"Those are the type of games that Joe [Mazzulla], Brad [Stevens], and the front office brought me here for."
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Kristaps Porzingis took advantage of a major mismatch against his former team, the Washington Wizards, on Friday night.
In the Celtics’ 133-129 win at the TD Garden, Porzingis notched a 34-point double-double. He scored nearly every bucket inside the arc, and got to the free-throw line early and often.
Speaking after the game, Porzingis noted that the Wizards traded away one of their big men, Daniel Gafford, leading to them playing with a smaller lineup against Boston. As a result, nobody on the floor could guard Porzingis.
“I wanted to make them pay,” Porzingis said. “Those are the type of games that Joe [Mazzulla], Brad [Stevens], and the front office brought me here for, right? To punish those mismatches and create some advantage for us. And that’s what I did tonight.”
Porzingis’s final stat line was 34 points, 11 rebounds and one block. He shot 9 for 18 from the field and a perfect 14 for 14 from the charity stripe. It was one of his most dominant performances of the season, and doing it against his former team made the night even sweeter.
“As soon as the game starting, you talk a little back and forth with your ex-teammates, and they know your game, you know their game,” Porzingis said. “So, it’s always fun to play former teammates, and tonight was no different.”
Washington’s fast-paced offensive gameplan caused problems for Boston early on, but Porzingis wasn’t too concerned about the 71 points his team allowed in the first half.
Coming out of the locker room, the Celtics held the Wizards to a 16-point third quarter to help regain control of the game.
“Second half we knew we had to take away their transition,” Porzingis said. “That’s what they try to do: run fast, shoot crazy shots, and make them. Second half we turned up our intensity, and held them to 16.”
Boston has three games remaining before heading into the All-Star break. Their next matchup is on Sunday afternoon against the Miami Heat. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
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