Kristaps Porzingis returned to Madison Square Garden Wednesday night and absolutely lit up the New York Knicks.
In his debut game with the Boston Celtics, Porzingis dropped 30 points and played solid defense against the Knicks, the team that drafted him back in 2015.
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After being greeted with chants of “(Expletive) Porzingis” from the Garden crowd, the Latvia native helped close out the comeback win for Boston with a clutch 3-pointer in the closing minutes.
Here’s how New York media is reacting to Porzingis’ performance:
“An old enemy in new digs punished the Knicks on opening night. … The Latvian looked like Larry Bird in green and white, dropping 30 points against his former team, including nine in the final 2 ¹/₂ minutes while the Knicks’ offense went ice cold.”
“Porzingis looked like a Latvian Larry Bird in his Celtics debut. He had 30 points and hit five of his nine three-point attempts. Porzingis also went 9-for-10 from the free-throw line and blocked four shots.”
The back page of the New York Post
Wally Szczerbiak, Knicks on MSG
“That’s why the Celtics got Kristaps Porzingis. This guy is a difference-maker, the way he can shoot the ball at that size. He’s impossible to match up with when you have a center that can stretch you to 25 feet. He knocked down 25-foot 3′s. He had 30 points today, shot it at a high percentage, didn’t need volume looms. That was an impressive performance coming back in the Garden, and you’re right. That’s the headline, the ‘Ghost of Kristaps Past.’”
“It was a dream start for Porzingis, as he set a franchise record for most points in a Celtics debut, surpassing Dominique Wilkins’ 25 in 1994.”
“There is a very loud ‘(Expletive) Porzingis’ chant going on in the Garden that I’m certain someone at ESPN is freaking out about’
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News
Porzingis lit it up in New York City, peppering The Garden with a barrage of threes the Knicks couldn’t contain. He started his new season in green-and-white with 30 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and five-of-nine shooting from downtown.
“(The Knicks) aren’t likely to often face a two-man wrecking crew like Tatum and Porzingis, who combined for 64 points and 19 rebounds, with Porzingis adding four blocks, much to the chagrin of 19,812 Garden denizens who serenaded him with scatological hymns down the stretch.
“His intimidation early in the game, you saw a lot of hesitation of going into the paint against him with his long arms. We know this guy. We know that’s who he is when he’s healthy and at his best. That’s why the Celtics went out and got him, because of his versatility
“I guess not everyone uses that jersey buyback program – decent number of Knicks’ Porzingis jerseys in the crowd at MSG.”
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