The Boston Celtics welcomed the LA Clippers to TD Garden on Monday night for the second leg of a back-to-back, as they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. But the game was the subplot of the night, as Kristaps Porzingis made his long-awaited return from injury for the Celtics.
Though Porzingis himself wasn’t very efficient from three, the Celtics were, as they chucked up 34 three-point attempts in the first half. They completely obliterated the Clippers, and while LA tried their best at a comeback for parts of the third, this game was never really close. Boston ended the night with a 126-94 win.
Here are three studs and three duds from the Celtics’ win over the Clippers.
Stud - Kristaps Porzingis
In his first game back since the NBA Finals, Porzingis looked great. He was moving well, looked solid on defense, and was completely unafraid to shoot the ball.
Considering he hasn’t gotten any NBA action this year, this was an impressive first showing. The shots weren’t falling, but Porzingis was moving very well, and that’s what was most important about the night.
His evening was highlighted by a pair of electric plays. One was a two-handed block on Kris Dunn, and the other was an alley-oop where he linked up with Jaylen Brown, throwing down a slam.
Porzingis was completely fluid in his return to the court.
Dud - Kristaps Porzingis’ efficiency
On the bright side, Porzingis is not afraid to shoot the ball. Unfortunately, his shot wasn’t falling on Monday night.
Porzingis’ confidence shined through at the start of the game, as Boston fed him for open three after open three (even though most were from well beyond the arc). But not many of them were falling.
The result was a very inefficient night for the big man, especially from behind the three-point line. It was a lowlight on an otherwise positive night for Porzingis, though, as he looked like he was moving well in his return to the court.
Stud - Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser
Boston’s bench mob was dreadful from behind the arc against the Timberwolves on Sunday afternoon. They couldn’t hit the ocean if they were shooting from a boat.
That changed on Monday.
Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser were unconscious from beyond the arc. They rained down three after three as the Celtics continuously found a way to generate open shots against the Clippers.
Pritchard was creating for himself and playing off others, while Hauser was coming off screens like it was his job (because it kind of is).
The highlight of their collective night was a Pritchard deep-range bomb that was close to the half-court logo. Neither could miss, and the Celtics reaped the rewards.
Dud - Jrue Holiday (kind of)
This isn’t really a fair addition to the list, but that’s because there weren’t really any duds on Monday night. Boston blew LA out of the water, and everybody played well. But Holiday wasn’t very efficient.
The Celtics guard wasn’t quite as effective a scorer as he normally is, shooting poorly from three and the field.
Holiday was his usual impressive self on defense, and his playmaking was essential to Boston’s success, but since no one player performed particularly poorly, he’ll take up a dud spot.
Stud - Derrick White
Though he had a few uncharacteristic fouls, this was an amazing game from Derrick White. It felt like every time White touched the ball, the possession turned to gold.
He was on fire from behind the three-point line, and Boston utilized him as a facilitator, too. White wasn’t just getting catch-and-shoot looks, either. He created for himself a few times.
Even when White was far beyond the three-point arc, he was money. The fan-favorite is completely unafraid to let it fly from anywhere on the court.
Dud - Kristaps Porzingis’ entrance
Since nobody on the Celtics was really bad in this game, let’s turn to a lighter note. Porzingis’ entrance was very mediocre.
Leading into the game, Porzingis didn’t come onto the floor with the rest of the team. He stayed behind and got to enjoy his own personal entrance and reception from the TD Garden crowd.
Kristaps Porzingis is BACK pic.twitter.com/njLUZfXWTP
— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) November 26, 2024
But it felt like they waited a bit too long to do it because by the time Porzingis came out for the game, the reception was weak.
There wasn’t a big enough pop from the crowd, the music wasn’t loud enough, and the entire moment seemed a bit underwhelming.
The Celtics needed to replicate the WWE entrance from the Finals, and this didn’t live up to that.