If she had any doubts, Kristaps Porzingis wasted no time hushing them up Tuesday night.
Coming out of the gate with a very focused and very determined appearance, Porzingis scored 13 consecutive points during a five-minute stretch in the first quarter and the Mavs continued to win a fight against the Philadelphia 76ers, 118-115, in overtime at HP Field House under the Orlando bubble. The win helped the Mavs finish the scrimmage by playing a 2-1 record.
The next for the Mavs are the real games as they start the 2019-2020 season on Friday evening at 7 with a fundamental game against the Houston Rockets.
Porzingis entered the field against the Sixers following an eight-point and five-foul subpart against the Los Angeles Lakers last Thursday. So on Saturday he mistakenly missed the NBA’s mandatory coronavirus test on Saturday, thus forcing him to automatically enter a 24-hour quarantine and sit out of the game on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers.
With that in the background, Porzingis came out and charged the Sixers dearly while taking on this game completely. During one stretch, the five-year-old veteran personally overcame the Sixers, 13-3, playing with the kind of confidence that earned him an All-Star seat in 2018 while playing for the New York Knicks.
“I wanted to get out aggressive and play energetically and energize the team, that’s all,” said Porzingis, who concluded the evening with 17 points and 12 boards. “Just be simple and play my game, and you’re done.
“And those things will happen.”
Because those things happened, the Mavs drove 24-13 after the first quarter. With Porzingis scoring a double double – 14 points, 10 rebounds – in the first half, the Mavs had a 48-39 lead at half-time.
“He had a good run during that stretch,” said coach Rick Carlisle analyzing the Porzingis first quarter wave. “Look, I like the way it moves. You know, 17 and 12 are fantastic.
“People don’t talk enough about his defense and what he does at that end of the floor by protecting the edge and the rebound. It is a great outlet passerby. “
Despite the solid performance of the Mavs in the first half, they passed the 41-26 in the third quarter and fell 10 points in the fourth quarter before the reserves JJ Barea, Antonius Cleveland and Josh Reaves left the bench and started the a rally that put an end to the scrum for Dallas on a positive note. It was a Barea 3-pointer that gave the Mavs a 116-113 lead with 1:06 remaining in overtime.
“I thought Cleveland and Reaves had both played very, very well,” said Carlisle. “Reaves left the game the other night (against Indiana) where he didn’t play well. He was a factor at both ends (Tuesday), he finished playing, he scored three big.
“The team that finished the game did a great job of finishing it and finding a way to win.”
Carlisle was worried about the third quarter, when the Sixers dominated the game and took control of the game.
“The last couple of games have not done a good job,” he said summing up his team’s game in the third quarter. “The teams came out and mistreated us.
“Many positive aspects. Once again, the negative was coming out of the locker room (in the third quarter). We fought and Philly took it, so we have to do better. “
Luka Doncic led the Mavs with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Barea and Cleveland paid 14 points each and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 10 points and five aces. Carlisle also praised game guard Trey Burke, who finished with nine points and three assists in 22 minutes.
“I really like Burke,” said Carlisle. “He’s a guy who just started practicing three days ago and got involved and he’s a factor.
“It puts pressure on the defense. Defensively he picked it up, he’s lobbying us out there and causing trouble out there, so he’s a guy who’ll be able to help. “
It was the pressure exerted by Porzingis that most Mavs fans wanted to see and was happy with the results.
“I think for a basketball player you have to play instinctively,” said Porzingis. “Whatever the situation, make decisions in a split second and follow your decision with 100% confidence.
“I just try to play instinctively and I know I put the job up and I have the skills and confidence to go out and play for free.”
Now it is precisely the showdown on Friday against the Rockets (40-24), who are in sixth place in the Western Conference ranking and only a game and a half ahead of the seven-seed Mavs (40-27).
“We are a talented team,” said Porzingis. “I think there are some learning lessons for us that we can also draw from this scrimmage, and now it’s time for the real deal for the regular season games and then the playoffs. So our arousal level will go up a few levels now.
“I think we are ready to go. We know that we will be able to do some things just because we are able to score the ball, and I think we have to catch ourselves in those moments and just come out ready. “
Twitter: @DwainPrice
