Dallas Mavericks: 5 takeaways from road win over Pacers

Takeaway from Dallas Mavericks win over Pacers: 2. KP dominates at the five

The Mavs had been starting Kristaps Porzingis at the four next to Willie Cauley-Stein in his first four games since returning from offseason knee surgery. The Unicorn was slowly working his way back into form but was doing a significant amount of his shooting from the outside.

The absence of Myles Turner meant the Pacers were going small on Wednesday night. Dallas countered with KP at the five, and it resulted in his best night of the season. Porzingis finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and one block in 31 minutes of action. He was 12 of 15 from the field and attempted just three 3-pointers.

The Unicorn was getting inside and finishing with ease. See a pair of KP dunks below.

Fans know that Porzingis took off after shifting to playing the majority of his minutes at the five last season. He is more involved in the offense as Doncic’s pick and roll partner. That creates plenty of opportunities for the Unicorn to dominate.

Expect Kristaps Porzingis to settle in playing primarily at the five when the Dallas Mavericks are fully healthy. They can start Luka, Josh Richardson, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Dorian Finney-Smith (or Maxi Kleber) making it difficult for any team to match up with the Mavs. Expect All-Star production from the Unicorn too.

Next: No. 1