Mavericks starting Center Kristaps Porznigis was a little quiet on Saturday vs. the LA Clippers.
Kristaps Porzingis didn’t have the type of game that he’s capable of. He connected on 4 of 13 shots, and only hit one out of five three-pointers in Game 1 of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs vs. the LA Clippers.
He hit a nice bucket and a three-pointer early, but didn’t seem to have a big impact on the game again until the fourth quarter. He did have a menacing dunk to help put the game away in the fourth, as well as a couple conversions from the free throw line. Still, the Clippers did a very nice job containing him overall.
Kawhi Leonard was guarding Porzingis for a majority of the game. He certainly did his job. KP only had 14 points, and only grabbed four rebounds.
The issue is that, he most likely won’t be on KP nearly as much in Game 2.
There are still Clippers that can be effective against Porzingis.
Clipper center Ivica Zubac gave up 16 of Doncic’s 31 points in Game 1. That doesn’t mean he can’t be effective when guarding Porzingis, though.
There was one game in particular during the regular season where Zubac was particularly effective on Doncic. Doncic attacked the paint many times in that game, and Zubac held him to just two made field goals out of eight inside the key.
Doncic learned, and shot over Zubac whenever Zubac picked him up on Saturday. Zubac still can be effective protecting the rim. Just because Zubac struggled against one of the best of the best players in the NBA doesn’t mean he can’t do a good job containing Porzingis.
A seven-footer, Zubac may not be as tall as Porzingis (7’3″), but who is? Zubac still has a lot of height, and has been effective as a defender in the paint before.
Porzingis is also nowhere near as quick as Doncic. Even if Porzingis stays away from the paint, Zubac should have enough athleticism to close out on his three-point attempts quick enough.
It’s different guarding a three-point shot from Porzingis than it is Doncic. Doncic can get shots off quicker, and is a better shooter when it comes to creating that space he used to shoot over Zubac.
Zubac can handle the assignment. Serge Ibaka can too.
Ibaka didn’t play much in Game 1. He may not play much in Game 2.
He just came back from an injury that cost him 30 games. He’s only been back for the past three games.
It’s possible that Lue doesn’t want to give him a ton of minutes due to him just getting back. It’s also possible he just doesn’t think he needs more minutes. Regardless, if Zubac struggles, Ibaka is a nice option to pick up the slack.
Ibaka had some nice moments in Game 1, including two blocks and a steal. He earns his nickname of Serge “Iblaka,” rejecting two blocks per game on average in his 12-year career. He’s a two-time block champ, and despite not being seven feet tall (Ibaka is 6’10”), he has incredible length and has had plenty of defensive success in the playoffs before.
Just a couple years ago, when he won the Finals with the Toronto Raptors, he had six blocks in a game he didn’t even start. There’s no reason he can’t be effective off of the bench in a series like this.
He can help with Porzingis, too. The Clippers have a very deep team, and have what it takes to continue shutting down Porzingis in this series, even if Kawhi will be taking on a different assignment this time.