Kristaps Porzingis calls OT loss to Pelicans ‘painful’
Kristaps Porzingis is tired of the same old story this season for his Knicks.
After the Knicks lost in overtime to the New Orleans Pelicans by the final of 123-118 on Sunday, Porzingis spoke candidly about the team’s rough sledding.
“So, so many similar games like this,” said the Latvian, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “It’s painful. We need to do a better job at the end of games. It’s simple. They made some good plays, but today one quote popped through my mind. It was, ‘A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.’ So we just have to stay positive and try to find something positive.”
The loss dropped New York to 19-24 on the year (tenth in the Eastern Conference). It was also their third overtime defeat in just the month of January alone as well as their tenth loss by single digits for the season.
Porzingis, who has himself dipped to 19.9 points a game on just 37.0 percent shooting in January, has been quite open about his struggles this season as he adjusts to life as the Knicks’ alpha dog. Granted, Porzingis is still only 22 years old. But this bumpy patch of late is a sobering reminder that the Knicks are probably one more piece or one more year away from true playoff contention.
