The TD Garden crowd gave Kristaps Porzingis a warm welcome back from injury before Monday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Boston Celtics big man took the parquet for the first time since Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals, when he played through a leg injury that required surgery in the offseason. He received a warm welcome from fans while taking the court during warmups and got a thunderous ovation during player introductions.
Watch both moments below:
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Porzingis' season debut came a month earlier than expected. The 29-year-old's original recovery timeline had him pegged to return around Christmas Day.
A key piece of the 2024 NBA championship roster, a healthy Porzingis will bring a major boost to Boston's frontcourt. He averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocks per game last season. In the playoffs, he averaged 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor.
Porzingis had a successful debut Monday, posting 16 points on 6 of 12 shooting along with six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in 22 minutes of Boston's 126-94 win.
The Celtics had fared just fine without Porzingis with a 14-3 record entering Monday night. With Porzingis at full strength, it will be tough for any team to stop them on their quest for a repeat.
