– KP lives up to the hype
To no surprise, the best player for the New York Knicks on Tuesday night was Kristaps Porzningis. Prior to the game, we broke down how Porzingis was going to be a matchup nightmare for the Lakers, and that’s exactly what he was.
The Lakers used mostly Larry Nance Jr. and Kyle Kuzma on Porzingis, as they were given the impossible task of trying to slow him down. In the Knicks win, Porzingis totaled a game-high 37 points on 14-for-26 shooting from the floor.
What was also very impressive for Porzingis was his five of eight shooting from 3-point range. With basically a mismatch the entire night, Porzingis was able to get shots that he was comfortable with a majority of the time. The Lakers decided to switch on a lot of screen and rolls, leaving guards on Porzingis. With his great size, this resulted in easy jump shots.
In addition to his stellar scoring output, Porzingis was also able to total 11 rebounds and five blocks. Without a doubt, he was a factor on both ends of the court tonight, and the Lakers really didn’t have an answer for him. Even though the Lakers played well, sometimes you just have to top your cap to someone who played better.