After five months out, Kristaps Porzingis made his season debut with the Boston Celtics on Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The nine-year veteran was inserted into the starting lineup and looked to make an immediate impact, scoring Boston’s first basket and hitting four 3-pointers within the first four minutes of the game. He had 16 points, six rebounds and, perhaps most importantly, two blocks, in 23 minutes in a game the Celtics won 126-94.
Porzingis’ return was first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The 7-foot-2 center is undergoing a long recovery after undergoing ankle surgery in June. The surgery repaired a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon, a rare ankle injury Porzingis sustained in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
Porzingis missed Games 3 and 4 of the Finals due to injury, but was then available on a limited basis for Game 5. Boston won the series against the Dallas Mavericks, 4 wins to 1, and won the NBA championship.
The Latvian big man missed the first 17 games of the season while recovering from surgery. Boston is off to a 14-3 start in the NBA Championship, good for second place in the Eastern Conference, but the return of Porzingis is sure to give it a boost.
