Big men can’t measure up to N.Y.’s newest skyscraper
Somewhere, the selfappointed draft experts who doubted the arrival of a Latvian legend have some explaining to do.
The fans who booed can happily take second helpings of crow.
Even the faithful who moaned on lottery night when the New York Knicks’ worst season added one more loss can consider themselves rewarded.
Kristaps Porzingis has been more than many could have imagined.
When he was through towering over the Rockets on Saturday night at Toyota Center, the NBA’s shortest team never had looked quite so puny.
The Rockets lined up with all 7 feet, 3 inches of the Knicks’ ascending rookie, looked him square in the chest and with the game on the line, could not measure up.
With Dwight Howard sitting out the second half of the back-to-back, Porzingis beat the Rockets on the boards on one end and swatted their shots on the other, carrying the Knicks to a 107-102 victory.
“He was the only one that kept them in the game,” Rockets guard James Harden said. “A big performance by him, for him to perform like that, that’s the reason they won.”
Shades of Shaq Porzingis had 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting with 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots. No 20-year-old has put up those numbers since Shaquille O’Neal in the 1992-93 season.
But his impact went beyond even those statistics. He had all five of his offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter when the Knicks scored 11 second-chance points to foil the Rockets’ improved defense down the stretch.
“His length is one thing when you don’t have an advantage,” Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “But for guys who are longer, you have to be more physical. A lot of his stuff, he starts out on the perimeter and comes crashing in.”
Second-year center Clint Capela had given the Rockets their impactful young big man, getting 16 points and 14 rebounds, both career highs. But he twice fouled Porzingis trying to keep him off the boards early in the fourth quarter, forcing Capela to the bench with five fouls.
Foul woes for Capela After he returned to the game, Capela stayed on the floor for just 1:40 before he fouled Porzingis again on a rebound, fouling out with 5:03 left, leaving the Rockets short and short-handed.
“He’s learning,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s been asked, with Dwight being out, to take on a huge load. Dwight’s one of the best defensive rebounders in the game. When he’s out, Clint has to fill that spot, but it’s not on Clint alone. Everybody’s got to defensive rebound.”
When Porzingis was not cleaning the glass on one end, he had an impact on the other, twice blocking Harden drives down the stretch. Harden led the Rockets with 24 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
But after the second of Porzingis’ fourth-quarter blocks, Harden decided to go another way. With the Knicks up by three points after a pair of Porzingis free throws, Harden tried a 3-pointer to tie the game with less than a minute left. Harden had made each of his three attempts from deep, but missed.
Carmelo Anthony made four free throws in the final minute to hold off the Rockets. But there was little doubt about who took the Knicks to the win.
Within himself “I thought he looked really comfortable and confident right from the start,” Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. “I think for all players, when they see the ball going into the basket a few times, your energy level goes up. He put together a really wellrounded basketball game. He’s not trying to impress everybody and show that he’s capable of doing certain things.
“I think he’s just doing his best to play the game and whatever presents itself, he’s taking advantage of it.”
Porzingis took advantage of the Rockets and their lack of size.
With the loss, the Rockets have dropped six of seven games, but even while playing harder and defending better, rarely have they looked so small.