It’s been an up-and-down NBA playoffs for Kristaps Porzingis.
The Mavericks stole Game 5 from the Clippers with a 105-100 win on Thursday night to take a 3-2 series lead, but didn’t get much help from the 7-foot-3 forward.
Porzingis posted eight points, six rebounds and zero assists in 30 minutes of action. However, the former Knick did hit a clutch corner 3-pointer with less than three minutes left to put the Mavericks up 101-91.
The shot came off a dagger pass from Luka Doncic, who recorded 42 points in 43 minutes of play.
Doncic, who’s been dealing with a neck strain over the past two games, also had 14 assists and eight rebounds.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 20 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 45 minutes for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks have stayed afloat in the first-round playoff series, despite Porzingis’ quiet presence on the floor.
Throughout the series, Porzingis is averaging just 13.8 points and 4.4 rebounds, In the regular season, Porzingis averaged 20.1 points and 8.9 rebounds.
The best-of-seven series shifts back to Dallas for Game 6 on Friday, where the Mavericks can close out the series at home.
However, the unusual Mavericks-Clippers series has only seen road wins thus far.
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