“One Of The Favorites”: Mavs’ Big Man Kristaps Porzingis Cautious of Meeting the LA Clippers in the Playoffs

The LA Clippers defeated the Dallas Mavericks in their fourth seeding game inside the NBA bubble. The Mavericks have however sealed their playoff birth just like the Clippers. It is most likely these two teams will once again face each other in the first round of the postseason battle. What does Kristaps Porzingis think of it? 

Following the loss against Doc Rivers’ Clippers, Mavs big man Kristaps Porzingis sat down with reporters for his post-match press conference. Brad Townsend of Dallas Morning News asked the 25-year-old to reflect on the loss and rate the Clippers’ talent.  

Porzingis, who was sporting a Spanish soccer jersey in the presser, did not hold any feelings back when praising his opponents. Here’s what the former Knicks player said about the possibility of facing the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs: 

The 2018 All-star admitted that it will be a “tough matchup” for the Mavs to go up against the Clippers. “They’re one of the favorites to win it all,” Porzingis said. “A big physical team that has the experience, that has multiple guys who have been there already. So it’s definitely going to be a tough matchup. But we are looking forward to the challenge and getting experience from them.”

Porzingis on the tough loss against the LA Clippers

Kawhi Leonard dominated as the LA Clippers registered a convincing victory over the Dallas Mavericks. There were a lot of factors that contributed to the Clippers’ 15-point victory. Besides the consistent display of dominance from Kawhi and PG, the team saw every other player chip in with valuable contributions. 

The Mavs lacked a bit in this aspect as they might have been too dependent on Doncic and Porzingis to lift them up from their deficit. “It was a good learning experience for us as a team to play against such a high-level team,” Porzingis said, reflecting on the loss. 

“It was kind of a preview of what could happen in the playoffs,” he continued. “So I think for both teams it was probably good. Now, it is going to be a matter of who makes the better adjustments if we do meet each other in the playoffs,” Porzingis informed. 

The Mavs look certain to come into the playoffs as the #7 seed. Porzingis has been a beast for Dallas so far in the bubble. Since the restart, the 7’3” athlete is averaging 30.3 points and 10.0 rebounds in the four games that he’s played. 

SOURCE: Brad Townsend – Twitter,  NBA Fantasy – Twitter