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BOSTON — The Celtics righted the ship on Wednesday night with a dominant win over the undermanned Bulls. After a sluggish offensive first quarter, Boston erupted for 42 points in the second quarter to put the game away early and the offensive explosion largely came via big man Kristaps Porzingis.
The Celtics center matched his previous season-high with 26 points in the first half alone, going 8-of-11 from the field and 6-of-8 from 3-point range over just 18 first half minutes. Porzingis eventually finished with a game-high 34 points in the double-digit victory, tying his career-high with eight made 3s. It’s no surprise to see this type of effort from the big man after his play of late.
There were a host of questions entering the year about what Porzingis would look like upon returning from offseason surgery on a rare leg injury. After returning ahead of schedule, it’s evident that Porzingis is looking like the player that pushed Boston’s offense to new heights last year and perhaps a bit beyond that.
He’s arguably been the most consistent player in the Celtics lineup in January despite up-and-down play from his teammates. The veteran has scored 17 points or more in 11 straight games now all while shooting above 51 percent from the field and 3-point range this month.
“It’s night and day,” Porzingis said. “I just know I have to stay on top of this. I have to enjoy these moments. These are those moments where you get on a few games, feel good, rhythm’s good, shot’s falling. I’m enjoying it.”
His 3-point shooting is what is separating his campaign from last year. After shooting a subpar 33 percent from 3 in December, Porzingis is up to 51.3 percent in January, the top mark on the team in that stretch. That red-hot play has pushed him up to a career high 3-point shooting percentage of 42.1 percent through 23 games, a meaningful improvement of his 37.5 percent mark last year.
“He’s just been great on both ends of the floor,” Joe Mazzulla said Wednesday night. “I think obviously offensively, he handles a lot of different cross matches, and he’s gotten so much better at that. It’s great to see him kind of have a game like he did tonight, and for us to have a well-balanced game as well.”
With Porzingis’ shooting coming from deep spots at the top of the key and with very quick releases, it’s putting opposing defenses in even more of a bind when he’s locked in.
The sensational output and consistency have also come in Porzingis’ first healthy stretch of the year. He’s managed to play all games in January since returning from an ankle injury except for back-to-backs, allaying fears that he may not be able to stay healthy this year coming off a major surgery.
Now, the Celtics are left in an ideal situation with Porzingis for both the present and the future. His elite offense has helped lift the Celtics up amid shooting woes from Boston’s starting backcourt. Boston’s starting five chemistry has also rounded into form collectively in the past few weeks as Porzingis has rounded into form.
The implications for the future are also big for Porzingis. He will enter next season with an expiring contract just as brutal luxury tax repeater penalties come into play for Boston. Whether the team is able to retain their core remains to be seen at that price (incoming ownership will determine that) but it’s clear that Porzingis is looking like a good value deal still at $29 million rather than a potential injury liability.
Keeping Porzingis healthy and had his best will be a challenge for the team in the next two months heading into the postseason. However, with the big man carrying a lighter game load after a late-November season debut, the odds of him making a bigger impact than last postseason look better by the day.
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