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Kristaps Porzingis helps Carmelo Anthony and Knicks as decoy

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Against doctor’s orders, Kristaps Porzingis served as the NBA’s tallest decoy on the Knicks’ most important possession of the afternoon.

Porzingis had an up-close view of Carmelo Anthony’s game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation of the game the Knicks would finally win 119-113 in double overtime against Philadelphia. Even when hobbled, Porzingis still draws plenty of attention and creates space for his more accomplished teammate.

“What I saw was give him the ball and get out of his way,” Porzingis said of Anthony’s clutch jumper over Nerlens Noel from the top of circle. “He made a big shot. That’s what he does. He saved us in a big spot.”

The Knicks averted the worst loss of their season — up 18 with 13 minutes left in regulation — and may have avoided an even bigger disaster when Porzingis came up lame with a sore foot late in the fourth quarter. Porzingis played just 10 seconds the rest of the way; the last possession of the fourth after Ish Smith had given the Sixers a 96-93 lead. He was removed for good with 3.4 seconds left in regulation after Anthony had tied it.

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Porzingis reported afterwards that he did not have his foot X-rayed and was confident that he would be available for Wednesday’s home game against the Utah Jazz.

An injured Kristaps Porzingis returns to the floor in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to serve as a decoy and help create space for Carmelo Anthony.Seth Wenig/AP

An injured Kristaps Porzingis returns to the floor in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to serve as a decoy and help create space for Carmelo Anthony.

“There is one spot that bothers me, but I am fine,” he said. “I expect to be back Wednesday. I am young and I recover quick.”

Porzingis is already playing with a sore right shoulder but still managed to scored 16 points and grab 12 rebounds on Monday. Porzingis isn’t sure when he suffered the foot injury but he was lifted with 2:40 to play and the Knicks leading 91-90. The plan was to hold him out for the rest of the game but with the Knicks down three, Derek Fisher diagrammed a play that included Porzingis on the court.

The Sixers were caught in a switch with Noel, the team’s 6-foot-11 shot blocking center, isolated on Anthony. Philly coach Brett Brown wanted Noel to either foul Anthony with five seconds left or force him to drive. He did neither and instead allowed Anthony to dribble into a shooting rhythm and make the shot.

“It’s depressing not to close that game out in regulation,” Brown said.

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Although the game lasted 10 more minutes before the Knicks finally pulled away, team doctors made sure that the future of the franchise remained on the sidelines. It was the proper call even if the competitor in Porzingis wanted to argue otherwise.

“If the doctors made the decision for me to play I would have played,” he said. “I always want to be out there on the floor, especially when I am on the sidelines…knowing I might be able to help this team.”

The Knicks’ annual Martin Luther King Day matinee featured the third and fourth overall picks in last June’s draft, but neither Jahlil Okafor or Porzingis saw the court in overtime. Okafor sat out the fourth quarter as well as Brown found an effective guard/forward combination in Smith and Noel.

Former Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni is now on Brown’s staff and his influence on the Sixers is evident. With Smith, Philly likes to push the pace and they outscored the Knicks 33-20 in the fourth. Okafor was playing his first game at the Garden against Porzingis; the Duke forward was serving a suspension when the Sixers visited New York last month. Okafor can definitely score. He finished with 20 points on 10-for-17 shooting. Okafor can be a force in the paint but he’s not as long, lean or as versatile as Porzingis, whom Brown called a “modern day” NBA player.

“When you think about what the game is going to look like in 2025 you see him.”

Tags:
kristaps porzingis ,
carmelo anthony ,
new york knicks ,
philadelphia 76ers ,
nba

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