Porzingis unhappy with few foul calls on his shots

Kristaps Porzingis wants to hear more whistles go his way when players are trying to block his shot.

Porzingis is the tallest player in the league at 7-3, and the Knicks forward says he’s getting hit on the arm or elbow by smaller defenders when he tries to shoot.

Teams often put small forwards or guards on Porzingis to try and bother him because of his size and length. Now that he’s the focal point of the Knicks’ offense, he’s getting the ball more and he claims he’s getting fouled more.

“They’re playing physical against me and all those little contacts maybe that go into my turnaround jumpers, I get a little touch on my elbow or something — it changes your shot so much,” Porzingis said after the Knicks’ 110-89 loss to the Celtics on Tuesday night. “It’s hard for a lot of defenders to block my shot actually so I’m trying to tell the referees all those little contacts on my elbow, some on my arm, it’s bothering my shot and it shouldn’t be allowed.

“It’s tough to see for sure. But I just got to be able to make those shots through contact, I guess.”

After scoring 31 and 33 points in his first two games, Porzingis struggled against the Celtics. He missed 11 of his first 12 shots and finished 3 for 14 with 12 points. In Saturday’s loss to the Pistons, Porzingis said he was fouled on a drive to the basket with under 40 seconds left and the Knicks down three. The NBA’s last two-minute report revealed that Porzingis was right.

Porzingis acknowledged that it’s difficult for the referees to officiate him because of his size. But he ranks seventh in the league in free-throw attempts per game at 9.3, ahead of players such as James Harden, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James

“I think it’s tough for sure because a lot of the guys are up with their hands, straight up, but I just go into my shot and the hand just barely touches your elbow and you can feel it,” Porzingis said. “When you release the ball it’s long or whatever.

“I don’t want to be complaining about little things but it happens and refs are going to do their best to try to call that for sure, but it is what it is.”

Michael Dwyer / Associated Press The Celtics’ Jaylen Brownd, left, fouls Kristaps Porzingis of the Knicks during the first quarter on Tuesday night night in Boston.