Porzingis says team is working towards getting killer instinct back after win against Dallas Mavericks

Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis said the team is working towards getting their killer instinct back after a 122-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. Celtics, the defending champions, won 68 games during previous regular season and lost only three times during the postseason but they haven’t been at their absolute best in the ongoing season.

Celtics currently have a 32-14 record in the ongoing season and they are in second place in the Eastern Conference standings.

“We were a lion last season, and some games this year we’ve looked like a house cat,” center Kristaps Porzingis said.

“We want to have that spirit as a team this year, and it’s tough. Obviously we can’t trick ourselves and make it [like] it’s playoffs every game. It’s tough, just human nature. But we know the group that we have and we know that we’re going to bring it to the big games, but we need to bring it consistently and keep building on top of good wins like tonight.”

Boston jetted off to a 21-5 start to the season but veered off the track as they managed 11 wins in their last 20 games.

“We’re definitely working towards getting our killer instinct back,” said Porzingis, who scored 18 points in Saturday’s win, his first game at the American Airlines Center since the Mavericks traded him to the Washington Wizards at the 2022 deadline. “We want to have that. Some moments we’ve looked really good, some moments not so good. Some moments we’ve cruised a little bit.”

Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown said they have to keep working hard to get the desired results.

“It’s coming. It’s coming,” said Brown, who had 22 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists against the Mavericks. “You just keep working. It’s coming. You got to keep fighting if you want to be what you say you want to be, got to be tested and you got to pass those tests and be worthy of it. It’s been hard. Shots are not going in. It’s looked a little bit ugly at times. Our offense has been a little bit [off]. The energy hasn’t been flowing the way it’s used to, but that’s all right.

“Just keep your mind, you keep your spirit lifted, you keep your teammates’ spirit lifted and you come out and you play basketball, the tide will turn.”

The Celtics will next take on the Houston Rockets on Monday.