Kristaps Porzingis said it didn’t cost the Knicks the game, but he would have preferred to get out on the court sooner in the fourth quarter when the club’s offense came to a screeching halt in a 102-89 loss to the Pistons on Tuesday night. During the Knicks’ 10-point fourth quarter, Porzingis sat until 3:22 remained, re-entering with his club trailing by six. He took just one shot down the stretch and didn’t score. Coach Jeff Hornacek preferred to go with a more defensive-oriented lineup that included Lance Thomas, who has struggled to score this season. “Of course,’’ Porzingis said when asked if he wanted to play more in the fourth. “The second half I was better offensively. But that’s the decision the coach made. He thought it was best for the team. At that point. It was out of my hands. I always want to be on the floor obviously. We lost the game. It’s not that period that it didn’t work out for us.’’ Porzingis, the team’s leading scorer with 21 points in its win over the Grizzlies in the home opener Saturday, started off slowly, going 2 of 8, but came on in the third period as the Knicks rallied. Porzingis finished with 18 points, but shot just 7 of 18 and 2 of 7 from the 3-point line. New backup point guard Brandon Jennings was unsentimental over his return to the Palace, where he played for Detroit from 2013 until being traded to the Magic on Feb. 16. Jennings, who had 12 points and three assists Tuesday, said he knew he was gone from Detroit once the Pistons acquired Reggie Jackson a year earlier. Pistons president/coach Stan Van Gundy gave an unexpected stirring testimonial to Jennings’ stint before the game. - See more at: http://nypost.com/2016/11/02/kristaps-porzingis-not-thrilled-he-sat-most-of-the-fourth-quarter/
