The Celtics find themselves atop the NBA regular season mountain after dismantling the Thunder 135-100 on Wednesday night in TD Garden. On a night where many parts of Boston’s lineup stood out as bright spots, Kristaps Porzingis stood out from the pack. The seven-footer carved up the Thunder’s defense even in a tough matchup against Rookie of the Year contender Chet Holmgren, posting 27 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks and four assists in the rout.
The big man was efficient as ever, going 11-of-14 from the field including making all three of his 3-point attempts to key a Boston offense that shot a red-hot 54 percent from the field. The Celtics made a point of finding their center in mismatches all night long and that drew praise from Joe Mazzulla after the win.
“I think it’s a credit to him because of his physicality and his dominance,” Mazzulla said. “It’s also a major teaching point for our team because we had the discipline to attack the switch the proper way the entire game.”
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“If teams are going to switch us that way and we have a physical presence like that, we didn’t have any turnovers on post passes, we had very few turnovers in the paint if they collapsed, our spacing was rather good if it was a post mismatch or if it was in the middle of the floor, so they tested our discipline to attack the switch with size and physicality and I thought our guys did a great job of trusting that, which allowed us to open up some other things throughout the game.”
The Celtics may be getting better at finding Porzingis on the floor in good spots but the big man is making gains himself. After a season of timely load management by Boston’s training staff, Porzingis is hitting hi stride at the perfect time of Boston’s season.
“To be honest, my legs are a little bit better,” Porzingis said of his big night. “But mostly it’s just starting to turn up a little bit more, you know? Understanding that we have like playoffs soon. I want to be at the best, like, best moment for the playoffs. And yeah, just getting into that mindset finishing the regular season strong. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
When there have been rare letdowns for this Celtics group in recent weeks, it’s largely come after lackluster efforts for Porzingis. The focus is now on the veteran though as his teammates emphasize his importance in turning what had been a very good team last year into a bonafide juggernaut this season.
“KP, he’s a key piece in everything we’re trying to do,” Jaylen Brown said. “So just trying to get him going. When KP is physical, when he’s challenging guys at the rim, when he’s alert to the doubles and not flopping and he’s holding his ground, KP has been extremely impactful. So we just want to encourage to bring that side out, because the more we see that KP the less we’ll lose. So we’re excited for this journey we’re about to embark, the playoffs, and we want to make sure we’re clicking on all cylinders.”
The Celtics have two weeks now to rest up Porzingis and ensure he’s at his best when the game matters again. Still, his development in the latter stages of the season could put Boston at a different level in the Eastern Conference as the playoffs begin.
“I still think I can be even better,” Porzingis said. “But I look forward to having my engine going on all cylinders when the playoffs come.”
