A special reunion for Kevin Porter Jr. against the Cavs | NBA

Two days after setting fire to the powder against Stephen Curry, whom he provoked a little too much and who finished at 40 points in a victory against his Rockets, Kevin Porter Jr. lived another emotional experience the last night. This time it was against his old team from Cleveland.

Fully motivated for this confrontation against his former teammates, and a franchise that traded him for a second round of the Draft after a story that ended badly, Kevin Porter Jr. was finally betrayed by his heart. Seeing some of his “brothers” again, he lost his thirst for victory…

“Before the game, my mentality was to try to beat James Harden’s record”

“Before the game, my mentality was to try to beat James Harden’s record and drop a game at 60 points. But in between, I saw them all, some of whom I hadn’t seen since the exchange. There were so many emotions running through my mind. I thought it was crazy to play against them. I got out of my game a bit, having discussions with them on the side. It got me out of my killer mentality. Yeah, it was harder than I thought, being able to stay mentally focused. After that first 3-pointer, I started talking with DG. “

After opening his personal counter with a lucky 3-pointer with the board at a 45° angle, Kevin Porter Jr. actually started chatting with his old Cleveland pal, Darius Garland, in civilian clothes because of pain in his back. back: “It’s Darius. We call each other ‘twin’ because he talks, and I love to talk too. We’re two guys with two big mouths. “

Having always been plagued by his emotions, which earned him a game suspension this year after a good fight with John Lucas, the Rockets’ assistant, KPJ is however growing. Against Golden State, he still stood up to Curry with a double-double at 17 points and 11 assists (but 5 stray bullets). Last night he was even cleaner with 16 points, 7 assists and 2 stray bullets (none in the second half).

“He showed a lot of composure,” adds Stephen Silas in the Houston Chronicle. “We were talking about it before the match because I saw that he was a little too over-motivated. But he played a very controlled game. He had a very good game as playmaker, during which he created play for himself by gaining speed off the screen, taking advantage of his size sometimes but above all by creating play for his teammates. “

“I especially wanted to show them my progress”

More and more comfortable in his role as organizer, a role he has adopted since his arrival in Houston (to succeed James Harden), Kevin Porter Jr. is much less of a scorer than last season (from 17 at 13 points per game). If his pass average has remained the same, around 6, he gains confidence with each of his outings.

“His patience is remarkable. He lets the game come to him.”thus appreciates Christian Wood, author of 21 points. “He takes the shots that the defense gives him. It manages the pick & roll well and I think we will even be able to return to the pick & pop. His patience has been incredible in these last games. He is starting to show his maturity. “

Author of a 3-point to seal the fate of the match, KPJ also had the honors of a nice alley-oop launched by Jalen Green to end his evening in the best way.

” It was great. After those two actions, I knew we had won so I wanted to celebrate a bit. This match was probably not as important for the other players but they knew it meant a lot to me. And it’s a victory worth all the gold in the world.” concludes KPJ. “They drafted me, they gave me an opportunity. I especially wanted to show them my progress. I wanted this victory. Before the game, I told the guys to give it their all on the pitch, no matter what. Do your best for me. That’s what they did and we got the win. “

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qob2icUTD8Y