Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis lit it up from downtown and beyond vs. Bulls
BOSTON -- Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis gave new meaning to hitting shots from downtown in Wednesday night's win over the Chicago Bulls. Each of his eight three-point makes in Boston's 122-100 victory came from well beyond the arc, as Porzingis erupted for a season-high 34 points for the Celtics.
Porzingis went 8-for-14 from deep to tie his career-high for three-point makes, and was an efficient 10-of-18 overall from the field. His 34 points were his most in a game since last February.
Porzingis corralled 11 rebounds for Boston to match his season-high and also came up with three steals. Only one other player in Celtics history has hit eight threes, pulled down 11 rebounds, and recorded three steals in a game: Fellow Employee No. 8 Antoine Walker back in the 2002 season. Only seven players in NBA history have put together such a stat line.
It was truly a mystical from Boston's Unicorn, who looked more like a 7-foot-4 Steph Curry as he logged his fourth double-double of January. Porzingis has been scorching from deep this month, hitting 50.7 percent of his three-pointers to boost his season average to a career-best 42.1 percent.
And though Porzingis didn't record a block on Wednesday, he effected a number of shots at or around the rim, helping Boston hold the Bulls to just 42.9 percent in the restricted area.
"He's just been great on both ends of the floor," Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla said of Porzingis. "Obviously, offensively, he handles a lot of different cross-matches, and he's gotten so much better at that. His screening versus different coverages. I think he's playing with a great level of physicality, and defensively, he's getting better at some of the different coverages that we have. He's been great. It's great to see him kind of have a game like he did tonight and for us."
Porzingis from downtown and beyond
The shortest three that Porzingis made Wednesday night was his first -- a 27-footer that got the scoring started for both teams. He also scored the second bucket of the game, a 33-foot triple that ended up as his longest make of the evening.
Porzingis made four three-pointers from 30 feet or deeper, including his final pair of threes on the night. He probably could have made a few shots from the Zakim if the TD Garden had a retractable roof.
"I'm trusting myself to make that shot, and these guys are trusting me, just pitching it back to me, and I'm letting it fly," Porzingis said after the win.
Porzingis' dead-eye shooting from downtown opened things up for his Celtics teammates inside against the Bulls. Jaylen Brown went 9-of-13 on his two-point attempts for 28 points, while Derrick White tallied 22 points off 7-for-14 shooting overall, hitting three of his four attempts from inside the arc.
"It's tough. It's scary. When KP's shooting the ball like that with confidence, that opens it up for everybody else," said Brown. "That's what I like to see. KP had a great game tonight."
Another hot start for Porzingis
Porzingis got the ball rolling for Boston once again. He sank his first three after pulling down a rebound on the defensive end, and then turned a Chicago shot-clock violation into his second long-range strike. He scored 13 of the team's first 15 points on the night.
Porzingis scored 15 of his points in the first quarter, shooting 4-of-6 overall and 3-of-4 from three in the stanza.
"I enjoy having these hot starts, getting the team off to a good start," said Porzingis. "I look forward to keeping this momentum going."
This has become a welcomed trend for the Celtics. Porzingis has not been waiting around to make an impact this month, averaging 8.7 points in his first-quarter action. He's shot a ridiculous 65.5 percent overall and 68 percent from downtown in the first quarter in January.
He has one more game to add to those eye-popping numbers, as the Celtics will close out the month with a Friday night visit to the New Orleans Pelicans.