Nowitzki, Mavs hold off Porzingis comeback, Mavs beat Knicks

“I don’t want it to be an ongoing feeling where we come into the locker room and have to explain why we’re losing basketball games”. Porzingis and the Knicks go on a three-game road trip against the Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers in their next three.

“Porzingis is a special player, ” Carlisle said. “It seems like it’s just starting to become repetitive now”. It just depends on the situation.

“I think that this worked out well for Kris, that we didn’t try to make him something before he actually started playing, so he’s been able to find a role that fits him at this point where he is in his career”.

“It really doesn’t matter because we still lost”, he said, “but yeah, I was just hitting shots and trying to do the things to help the team win at the end”.

NEW YORK (AP) – Dirk Nowitzki got to see why people compare Kristaps Porzingis to him, and the rookie nearly ruined the view. Things happen on the court I thought should have went my way.

“You have to root for him”. After averaging 8.2 points in 20.4 minutes in his rookie season, Nowitzki improved his numbers to 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists the following year. Dallas shot 16-of-31 from 3-point range after entering the game ranked 28th in the league from beyond the arc (30.9 percent).TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), MSG (New York)ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (12-9): Matthews’ breakout performance came out of nowhere, as he was coming off a 1-of-9 effort in a loss to Houston and shot better than 50 percent for the first time since November 11. Dallas won the meeting in NY with a score of 104-97 behind 24 points from Dirk and 20 for Deron Williams.

I was prepared to write about how bad a game this was to watch until Kristaps almost got the Knicks all the way back. In the first half, I let him shoot open shots and, of course, he made them. It was a lesson for me; somebody to learn from now. “If he has something to say to me – advice – I will listen to him. It was really fun playing against him”. We’ve said it before. “He’s tougher than you think, long, athletic and can put the ball on the floor”. They made 11 of them to earn 63 points by halftime, the team’s highest scoring half all season. “That lineup gave us some problems and he was fantastic during the fourth quarter”.

Check off another box for Porzingis, who somehow continues to exceed every possible expectation that is placed on him. “It’s an honor that guys respect my game”, Nowitzki said.

The Mavs believe the sky’s the limit for them, also. He’s nearly averaging a double-double out there. “That shows me that maybe I have the potential to one day be as great as he is”, Porzingis said.

Carlisle said the comparisons between Porzingis and Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki are understandable and legit, and is curious to see how he develops. “There were others that didn’t have the [guts] to pull the trigger on that one, and he’s a great young player who’s got a chance to be truly special”. “He was a guy who needed to get away from this where he could be himself and get some clarity and get back to being the Deron Williams that we all used to love”. But I’ve been blessed to be around for a long time.