Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

• Kristaps Porzingis returns to MSG on Thursday

• We warned you about overdoing it with Gordon Hayward

• The Toronto Raptors still have their swagger

• James Harden's 3-point attempts have no limit

• Paul George is set to make his Clippers debut

Tonight's must-watch game

Tap the box to set a reminder

 1. The lead: The Knicks are broken, but so is Porzingis 

Not sure if you’re an NBA history buff, but last February, the New York Knicks traded All-Star Kristaps Porzingis for the necessary cap space to sign Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, then didn’t get a meeting with either of those two in the offseason, opting to settle for four average power forwards with stupid contracts.Looking to avoid their worst start since 2009-10, the Knicks, now 2-9, will host Porzingis and his new Dallas team at Madison Square Garden on Thursday; it’s the first time back for KP since last February’s deal.And, truth is, neither side of the breakup is doing so well. The Knicks, of course, suck, and, of course, always will, so that’s not surprising, but Porzingis’ return from the ACL tear he suffered in February of 2018 has been confounding. 

• First off, he got beat up by Russians and had an, um, an accusation made against him. 

But, speaking on court, in nine games this season: 

• 18.3 points on 40.1 percent shooting, 7.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists

Those aren’t max-level numbers, but much worse is the eye test. Porzingis is routinely getting marooned far from the basket by much smaller defenders. Marcus Smart the other night was the prime example. 

• Almost a third (47 of 146) of his shots are coming from deep; only 17 percent of his shots are coming from within five feet of the basket. 

• And far too many of those shots are fadeaways from mid-range over smaller defenders, which suggests a discomfort with driving and contact, and a willingness to settle. Example A:

Reminder No. 1: To be fair, we’re only nine games into a long season.Reminder No. 2: Porzingis is 7-foot-3. Smart is 6-foot-3.[READ: Inside the deal that could haunt the New York Knicks forever]

2. Gordon Hayward is finally, truly injured again

Last week, we tried to warn you all that grandstanding headlines like IT'S SAFE TO SAY GORDON HAYWARD IS BACK  and GORDON HAYWARD IS FINALLY, TRULY BACK are no good. Those types of stupid proclamations will do nothing but upset the supernatural basketball powers in the sky.But, hey, what do we know? We're just a hyper niche voice crying in the wind, searching for economic viability during this uncertain time in the digital media landscape. Well! Look what's happened: Our pasty hair gel god has a broken hand that will keep him out for six weeks. Anyways, you can thank Bill Simmons, in particular, for the injury. 

3. The Raptors' continued goodness is really something

Ten games into the season, Toronto still has its championship level confidence.Last year, without Kawhi, the Raptors were 17-5 in his 22 load management games, which seems less fluky this year by the game. They’re 7-3 so far, which includes a win against the Lakers in L.A., and are currently tied (with four teams) for second place in the East.Who’s got the magic sauce?

• Pascal Siakam, or, according to Marc Stein’s iPhone, Paskal Shaka. He’s playing at a career-high level, averaging a team-high 26 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, validating his four-year $130 million extension he signed this offseason. He’s also getting 77.4 touches per game -- 18th in the league -- compared to only 59.1 a game last year. 

• Fred VanVleet is averaging 15.8 points and 7.7 assists per game, both career highs. 

• Kyle Lowry’s shooting, scoring and touches are all way up from last season, though he’ll miss a few weeks with a fractured thumb.

[

READ:

Pascal Siakam isn’t the next Kawhi -- but his future may be just as bright

]

4. Harden’s 3-point attempts and scoring average, 2009-10 through 2019-20

Data: basketball-reference.comIn blue are James Harden's 3-point attempts per game, starting from 3.3 as a rookie to 14.3 this season. In red is Harden's scoring average, from 9.9 as a rookie to 37.3 this season. You will not be surprised to know that more 3-point attempts = more points. [READ: James Harden shrugs off historic scoring start]

• Tristan Thompson’s attempt at being a guard is an eye sore.

• Chicago rookie Coby Whitedropped 27 points with eight 3s in the fourth quarter with old coach Roy Williams in the audience. 

• Paul Georgewill be making his debut with the Clippers tomorrow night in New Orleans. 

• A deep 3 from Trae Young during his 42-point game over the Nuggets last night. 

• A crafty pass from Nikola Jokic in the same game.

• Toronto's Chris Boucherwith the rejection on Montrezl Harrell.

• Houston's Eric Gordon had surgery on his right knee and will be out for six weeks.

• More injury reports from Mark Stein: “Boston's Gordon Hayward (six weeks), Milwaukee's Khris Middleton (three-to-four weeks) and Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox (three-to-four weeks) all join the NBA's long-term injury list.”

• Tacko Fall, on people in Maine: “I noticed they’re a little more, like, I don’t know -- a lady wanted to take a picture and she just sat on my lap the other day.”

• Is this possession by Andre Drummond the worst sequence in NBA history?

• Here’s Tommy Heinsohncalling a clear foul on Brad Wanamaker all ball.

• Bill Russell, on Jamal Crawford: "Here’s an idea, someone please sign (Crawford) and get him out of my kitchen!”

• The San Antonio Spurs paradox [The Ringer]

• Isaiah Thomas’s trip to hell and back [Bleacher Report]

• The Knicks are using Julius Randle all wrong [The New York Post]

• Knicks back David Fizdale with coach on the hot seat [ESPN]