Celtics Make NBA History with Porzingis’ POTW Nod
Kristaps Porzingis helped the Celtics make NBA history Monday, as he became the fourth Boston player this season to earn a Player of the Week Award. The 7-foot-3 center joined Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White to become the first foursome of teammates to each earn a Player of the Week recognition in the same season since the award was created in 1979-80.
The Celtics have now had three players earn the award in the past five weeks, while no other NBA team has had more than two players win throughout the entire campaign.
For KP, this marks the fourth time in his career that he’s won the award and it is the first time he’s earned it since the week of Jan. 2, 2023, when he was with the Washington Wizards.
In four games from April 1 to April 7, he averaged 19.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.0 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 65.9 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from long range. He logged three straight double-doubles to close out the week and also recorded a pair of five-block efforts.
Now, let’s take a look back at each of those four performances, all of which resulted in wins for the C’s.
April 1 at Charlotte
Starting the week in the final matchup of a six-game road trip, Porzingis went to work against the Charlotte Hornets with 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and one block in 30 minutes of action. Although it was his lowest rebounding effort of the week, it was his highest assist total; the five dimes tied for his second-most of the season. KP knocked down 6-of-10 from the field, 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, and finished with a plus-11 in Boston’s 118-104 win at Spectrum Center.
April 3 vs. Oklahoma City
Porzingis’ most impressive effort of the week – and one of his best of the season – came Wednesday night against one of the best teams in the West. Facing off against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he erupted for 27 points, a season-high-tying 12 rebounds, four assists, five blocks, and one steal while shooting 11-of-14 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep during 31 minutes of turnover-free action. During the 135-100 win, KP became the first player in franchise history to log at least 10 rebounds, five blocks, and three 3-pointers in a game. He also became the second Celtic to record at least 27 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks, joining Robert Parish. Basketball Reference ranked this game as his second-best overall performance of the season; ironically, No. 1 was his previous matchup against the Thunder on Jan. 2, in which he logged 34 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.
April 5 vs. Sacramento
Porzingis kept his high efficiency rolling into Friday night’s matchup with the Sacramento Kings. In just 24 minutes, the veteran center put up 20 points while shooting 7-of-10 from the field, 2-of-2 from long range, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, handed out two assists, snagged two steals, and blocked two shots during the 101-100 win.
April 7 vs. Portland
KP wrapped up the week with another stat-stuffing performance, as he posted 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and five blocks in 27 minutes of a 124-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. It marked Porzingis’ sixth five-block effort of the season, including his second in the last three games. It was also his third straight double-double, which is the most he’s had consecutively since the 2020-21 season with the Dallas Mavericks.
