Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis struggled in Game 1 of their playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers. However, looking on a more positive note, the Mavs still won even when he's not at his best.
Now imagine KP playing better and clicking well with Luka Doncic. The Mavs would be unstoppable!
That is exactly what KP said in his post-game presser following the Mavs' 113-103 upset of the Clippers. While he expects Kawhi Leonard and Co. to make adjustments in Game 2, he noted that they also won't stay the same and should only improve as the series progresses.
Article Continues Below“I had an off night tonight, and we were still able to get the win. … I'm sure they're going to make some adjustments, but we're also going to get better,” Porzingis shared, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News.
Kristaps Porzingis was non-impactful in the opener against the Clippers, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds and one assist–far from his season averages of 20.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists. To make matters worse, he was 4-of 13 from the field, including 1-0f-5 from the 3-point territory.
Sure enough, the Latvian star can only get better. As head coach Rick Carlisle noted, Porzingis was very patient as the Clippers put a focus on stopping him by deploying Kawhi Leonard. With that said, the Mavs are also expected to make some tweaks to get Porzingis more involved and open up the floor for him moving forward.
Doncic carried the Mavs with a triple-double of 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. If KP can recapture his form and Luka sustains his big-time performance, Dallas will be even more dangerous.
The Clippers have been warned.