Kristaps Porzingis joined the Washington Wizards in early February at the trade deadline but nursing a bruised right knee kept fans from seeing him on the court. Eight games later, Porzingis was cleared to play against none other than his former team the Indiana Pacers.
He did not disappoint. Porzingis came out hot on the first possession finishing an alley-oop from Kyle Kuzma for the Wizards opening points of the game. He went on to open the second quarter with a three-point shot. The big man continued to dominate throughout the remaining two quarters to help lead the Wizards to a 133-123 victory.
Wizards with a convincing 133-123 win over the Pacers.
Porzingas: 25 pts
Kuzma: 23 pts
Caldwell-Pope: 16 pts.#DCAboveAll pic.twitter.com/ok9Z6W60i3— Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) March 7, 2022
As a whole, the Wizards offense showed more balance and the double team’s against Porzingis took pressure off Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Kuzma has now scored 20+ points in five straight games, the third-longest such streak of his career. Additionally, he has now amassed 20+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists in three consecutive games which is the longest such streak of his career.
“It was phenomenal,” Kuzma said about playing alongside Porzingis. “Teams can’t just load up on me. Just having an extra guy out there that causes a lot of threat to many defenses. With him, he’s so versatile.”
His versatility has earned him the nickname the ‘unicorn’ over the course of his career. It’s something that Coach Wes Unseld, Jr. mentioned following Porzingas’ debut: “I’m not surprised at all why he had the nickname the unicorn. He’s one of a kind. Guys like that don’t just pop up all the time. He’s multifaceted.”
Some postgame comments from Kristaps Porzingis on Wizards debut, fan support, and his nickname ‘the unicorn.’ #DCAboveAll pic.twitter.com/0t5uNkEOTm
— Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) March 7, 2022
The addition of Porzingis in the lineup also gives the Wizards another weapon to make an attempt to move up from 11th place in the East and into the play-in tournament. With one of the easiest schedules down the stretch, this goal may not be too unreachable.
Additional Wizards vs. Pacers game notes:
- Washington connected on 17-of-42 attempts from beyond the arc, finishing with a three-point field goal percentage of .405.
- The Wizards have now recorded a three-point percentage of at least .400 in SEVEN straight contests, the longest active streak in the NBA and tied for the second-longest such streak in Washington history set on three other occasions, most recently on 3/13/13-3/23/13.
- Washington shot .523 from the floor (45-86 FG) and have now shot .500 or better in three consecutive games for the first time this season. The Wizards are 14-6 when shooting .500 or better this season.
- The Wizards have now scored 130+ points in five of the last seven meetings against the Pacers and are 5-0 in those games.
- The Wizards’ 76 points scored in the second half are the most scored by Washington in any half this season (Previous: 73, 1H, 10/22/21 vs. IND).
- The Wizards’ six turnovers ties a season low previously done on 11/15 vs. NOP.
- Washington is now 22-4 when leading after three quarters this season.