Kristaps Porzingis had the opportunity to play against one of his idols tonight. In his annual visit to Madison Square Garden, Dirk Nowitzki was magnificent once again, but the Knicks’ rookie did his best to justify the lofty comparisons made between him and the future Hall of Famer.
Dallas built a 23-point lead with a barrage of 3-pointers (13 for 31 in the game), but the Knicks never quit. When Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle pulled his star with a 16-point lead halfway through the fourth, it looked like the outcome was in hand.
But behind the 7-foot-3 big man, Derek Fisher’s club reeled off a 10-0 run to cut the lead to just four with 18.9 remaining. Porzingis had scored 12 points in the final period, requiring Nowitzki to re-enter the game to close out a 104-97 win.
The rookie was dazzling once again, making a number of key shots down the stretch. His teammates were looking for him, and it showed in 25 total assists. Carmelo Anthony’s final line of 17 points, season-high 8 assists and 6 rebounds underscored his impact on the game, which turned for good on an offensive foul call where Anthony was attempting to set a screen to free up Porzingis, who connected on both of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter. Jose Calderon made 3 of 5 from downtown.
