Kristaps Porzingis Slides Into Lane And Dunks Over Pau Gasol In Knicks’ 115-107 Win Over Bulls

New York Knicks center Kristaps Porzingis, 20, was a player who was very hyped after he was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and he seems to have lived up to that hype, if not surpassed it.

Kristaps Porzingis Slides Into Lane And Dunks Over Pau Gasol

With roughly 8:01 left in the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, the 7-foot-3 Latvian took a pass from Robin Lopez at the free-throw line. Then, rather than taking a 3-point shot, Porzingis stepped past a defender, and took yet another step to dunk over the Bulls’ Pau Gasol, another 7-foot player and bring the score to 65-58.

A play like that undoubtedly takes a lot of grace, agility and athleticism, not to mention excellent ball-handling skills.

Porzingis finished with a career-high 29 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds in the Knicks’ shocking 115-107 road victory over the Bulls, as well as his first double-double under new coach Kurt Rambis. Carmelo Anthony added another 24 points for the Knicks.

“He seems to have his legs back,” Rambis said regarding Porzingis. “He went through a period where it seemed like his legs were dead. Now it looks like he has a second wind.”

The game marked the Knicks’ first win in Chicago after nine straight losses. The Bulls (36-34) struggled without Tom Thibodeau, dropped out of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and into the ninth.

“He was very aggressive from the jump,’’ Anthony said about Porzingis. “He led us out there and we followed his lead.’’ The Latvian scored nine points in his first nine minutes, including a 20-footer on the Knicks’ first possession.

The Knicks rolled the Bulls 35-18 in the third quarter and built a 21-point lead early in the fourth before Chicago roared back with Porzingis out of the game.

Since the All-Star break, Porzingis had been shooting just 38 percent and averaging just 5.4 rebounds. He was shooting a dismal 25 percent from 3-point land since the break.

The Knicks (29-43), who are 13th in the Eastern Conference, will next replay the Bulls at home on Thursday night.

Caption:OAKLAND, CA – MARCH 16: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors tries to steal the ball from Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks at ORACLE Arena on March 16, 2016 in Oakland, California.

Article by Pablo Mena