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Kristaps Porzingis first 7-footer with multiple games of 40 points, five 3-pointers

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated09 Mar 2023

Wizards Kristaps Porzingis first 7-footer with multiple games of 40 points, five 3-pointers

Kristaps Porzingis of the Washington Wizards is the first 7-footer in NBA history to record multiple games of 40 points and five 3-pointers in a single season. The 7-foot-3 center is posting career-high numbers. Last February, the Dallas Mavericks traded the Latvian baller to Washington.

Through 56 starts this season, the 27-year-old is averaging career highs of 23.2 points and 32.9 minutes per game. Along with logging 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.5 blocks, the big man is shooting a career-best 49.7% from the floor and 38.7% outside the arc.

Based on a couple of NBA betting sites, Kristaps Porzingis and the Wizards possess 28th-ranked odds to win the championship. Sportsbooks are giving Washington a slim chance of qualifying for the play-in tournament.

In Washington’s 122-120 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, Kristaps Porzingis scored a career-high 43 points in 38 minutes of action. In addition to notching five boards and assists, the center shot 17-of-22 (77.3%) from the field and 7-of-10 (70%) beyond the arc.

“I would like us to be a little bit tougher honestly,” Porzingis said. “We give ourselves some discounts somewhere. Yes, it’s true. Of course, we have four games in five days and it’s hard and we were on the road yesterday, but we cannot put that in our minds. It’s not going to help us.”

Wizards center Kristaps Porzingis becomes the first 7-footer in NBA history to log multiple games of 40 points, five 3-pointers in a single season

Washington is 5-5 in its last 10 games. Tuesday’s 119-117 win over the Detroit Pistons ended a two-game skid. Now, the Wizards are 15-16 at home and 31-35 overall. They rank 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. If Porzingis and Bradley Beal can stay healthy, the Wizards could make a run for the play-in tournament.

“Happy with the effort and proud of, really as much as anything tonight, in my mind for our team, was about just competing,” said Hawks coach Quin Snyder. “He was unstoppable tonight,” Snyder mentioned of Kristaps Porzingis’ outing. “He’s that big and he’s making contested 2s. I thought we gave him a few 3s.”

Additionally, in the Wizards’ 118-104 victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 8, the seventh-year veteran recorded 36 points and drained a career-high-tying eight 3-pointers. Even in today’s game for a 7-footer, these few records are safe for the time being.

During the 2019 offseason, Kristaps Porzingis inked a five-year, $158.253 million maximum contract with the Mavericks. The center is earning $33,833,400 this season and has a $36,016,200 player option for the 2023-24 season. Porzingis is the second-highest paid player with Washington behind Beal (five-year, $251.02 million).

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