ORLANDO — “It's huge. If he can dominate the paint, we get him going, get him some easy looks, that changes the flow of the game.” That’s what Payton Pritchard had to say on Sunday morning when asked about getting Kristaps Porzingis more involved in the Boston Celtics’ Game 4 matchup against the Orlando Magic.
Porzingis was fresh off a brutal Game 3. He shot 3-of-10 from the field and was a team-worst -16 in a game the Celtics lost by just two points. And in the final minutes of the game, Franz Wagner took advantage of his lackluster perimeter defense, driving past him for clutch buckets that helped lift Orlando to a victory.
Game 4 was a different story.
Kristaps Porzingis stepped up perfectly in Celtics vs. Magic Game 4
His game began with two missed shots and a loose-ball foul. But with 8:12 to go in the first quarter, Porzingis slipped a screen as two Magic defenders pressed up to take away Boston’s three-point threat. Derrick White dumped the ball to him inside, and he threw it down.
That started a frenzy.
“I thought he was great tonight,” Joe Mazzulla said post-game. “I thought he set the tone for us and in our half-court offense with his screening and his rolling, and just his ability to make two-on-ones better for us.”
Though Porzingis still struggled in his own one-on-one spots, failing to take advantage of post-ups against smaller defenders, he was the perfect set-up man. Except he was the one getting set up.
Time and time again, Porzingis managed to slither his way into the paint after screens or with great off-ball movement. He took advantage of Orlando’s desire to take away the three-point line and found easy buckets that aided a much better scoring night—19 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
Even when Porzingis was in foul trouble, Boston was able to maintain their productivity.
“We managed it the way we managed it,” Mazzulla said of Porzingis’ foul trouble. “I mean, he did a great job when he was in. Luke did a great job coming in. We played Al and Luke together. We played Al at the five, so we managed him the way we managed him.”
And after three straight games of failing to make a single three, the floodgates finally opened for Porzingis on Sunday night, as he drained two of his four attempts.
Orlando still threw their weight around. They bodied Boston in the lane, made sure guys hit the floor, and never gave up any easy looks. Except for when Porzingis was able to snake himself into the mix.
This series has been a struggle for the big man, but he played off of his teammates perfectly in Game 4, and it made all the difference.