Knicks complete the comeback behind Kristaps Porzingis’ career high
New York’s mythical giant Kristaps Porzingis picked right up where he left off last game and shredded the Indiana Pacers for a career high 40 points. Riding on the back of their gracefully athletic center’s storybook performance, the Knicks escaped a loss at the hands of the Pacers and overcame a 19 point second half deficit to close the game 108-101.
The clutch come from behind win pushed them into positive territory for the first time this season and gave the rest of the league solid proof that The Unicorn is no beast to be trifled with. His recent string of dominant outings have garnered the Latvian big man Allstar considerations and even spurred a bit of MVP chatter. While his head turning play has New York rising up the ranks, they’ll need more than a little Porzingis magic if they’re going to usurp Eastern Conference royalty.
If we’re being honest, taking down the Indiana Pacers in a close one on your home floor isn’t quite the prolific statement needed to force your way into title contention conversations, but it’s a starting point. If you had told anyone at the start of the season that the New York Knicks would be sporting a winning record nine games into their 2017-2018 campaign, they’d probably have dismissed you as another hopeless optimistic. Yet here we sit, and that narrative is the reality of their season.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers have begun to write a cinderella story of their own. Shortly after the completion of the controversial Paul George trade, basketball junkies everywhere dismissed the return for the Allstar forward as empty production. 10 games have passed, and the validity of that statement couldn’t be any further from the truth.
Since swapping his OKC jersey for Pacers gold, Oladipo has scored buckets in bunches, averaging 23.8 points per game while leaving his previous career highs in the rearview mirror. As for teammate Domantas Sabonis, he’s quickly dispelling his reputation as a draft day bust as he continues to unveil skills that were apparently locked away in hibernation during his lone season with the Thunder.
Coming out of the gates to steal wins from a few of the NBA’s best powerhouses, the Knicks and Pacers have both been surprisingly good. Only time will tell if they can keep it up, or if their early season success was simply a fairytale beginning. One thing’s for certain, if they have any chance of sustaining excellence, they’ll need more of the same from their emerging stars.
