Despite more gaudy stats, not ‘good day’ for Porzingis

MIAMI — Heat All-Star power forward Chris Bosh said before the game that he had the answer to stopping Knicks’ 7-foot-3 rookie wonder Kristaps Porzingis — try defending him.

Well, it wasn’t a solid night for Porzingis , but he ended up still posting big numbers — 20 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks in a career-high 37 minutes.

He scored on the first possession — a wide-open 3 with Bosh nowhere to be found. In fact, Porzingis didn’t notice as much attention as the Heat predicted.

“I still had a lot of open looks from the 3-point line,’’ Porzingis said. “I couldn’ t really tell. The first shot I got was a wideopen 3. Maybe during the game they were adjusting more. Obviously it’s hard with my height to contest my shot.’’

At the Heat’s morning shoot around, Bosh and Dwyane Wade said a lot of Porzingis’ success had been due to defenses leaving him open. Wade said that would soon change.

“They could try,’’ Carmelo Anthony said afterward. “He ain’t soft.’’

Porzingis faced a tough big-man tandem of 7-1 center Hassan Whiteside, who had five blocks, and Bosh. Despite the big numbers, Porzingis wasn’t happy with his performance.

“Today wasn’t a good day for me or the team,’’ Porzingis said. “We couldn’t find our rhythm or make shots.’’

Coach Derek Fisher found an odd time to give Porzingis his career-high in minutes as the Knicks trailed by double-digits the entire second half. In fact, Fisher kept Porzingis on the court during the final min- utes of garbage time. It was an odd departure since the Knicks are trying to protect the rookie from injury and hitting the rookie wall as he goes through his first extended NBA road trip.

“I don’t know what garbage time is,” a defensive Fisher said. “You play 48 minutes. I didn’t think it was the night to rest him.’’

Before the game, Bosh explained why Porzingis has excelled: “Most from what I see on the film is guys not paying attention to him. He can play basketball. ... Just challenge him.”

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Heat rookie Justise Winslow s core d s eve n points, with six rebounds and three assists and made an incredible block of an Arron Aff lalo layup in transition. “Coach [Erik] Spoelstra seems to trust him,’’ Fisher said of Winslow. “He’s been out there and playing significant minutes. He’s doing a good job and helping the team.”