Porzingis Scores 38, Mavericks Beat Timberwolves 111-91
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Being without All-Star guard Luka Doncic for 13 games this season, the Dallas Mavericks have discovered how to stay successful without their leading scorer and assist man.
Lean on Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis tied a season high with 38 points, Seth Curry scored 27 and Dallas rolled to a 111-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon with Doncic sitting out with a left thumb sprain.
Porzingis added 13 rebounds and five assists, while also connecting on a career high-tying six 3-pointers. He's the only player in NBA history with at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and five made 3s in a game, according to Basketball Reference. It's the second time he's accomplished the feat.
"The 38 points tells about a quarter of the story of what he did in this game," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "Defensively, he was phenomenal. Changing shots, blocking shots, rebounding the ball, deflecting, saving balls. It was a defensive clinic."
Porzingis scored 22 points in the first half as Dallas led by 20 points and never looked back. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 19 points as the Mavericks won for the third time in four games.
D'Angelo Russell had 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, but Minnesota lost for the 20th time in 22 games.
"Where we are, we've got to come out with a more competitive mindset early on, especially against these teams like Dallas, who's an execution-based team who's been together," Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders said
Minnesota missed 10 of its first 11 shots, while Porzingis got started early. He scored 10 of the Mavericks' first 19 points and had three blocks in the first half.
Offense hasn't been the issue during the Wolves' decline, but the Wolves had trouble Sunday. Minnesota didn't score the first 3:20 of the second quarter and went 3:37 to start the second half without a point.
Porzingis has played in 10 games without Doncic this season and averaged 27.2 points and 11.8 rebounds. Four times in the past six occasions without Doncic, Porzingis has at least 35 points and 12 rebounds.
In his last 11 games, Porzingis is averaging 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, all team highs during that span.
"I've been myself," Porzingis said. "It took me a little bit of time to kind of get in the shooting rhythm and the feel for the game and things like that, but also I feel now the team knows where I like to receive the ball, where I like to play."
He joined Anthony Davis as the only players this season to record a game with at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.
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