Porzingis makes his long-awaited return after the Celtics’ loss to the Clippers

BOSTON – As soon as Jaylen Brown split between defenders Kris Dunn and James Harden, Kristaps Porzingis pointed his finger at the TD Garden rafters and ran toward the basket. The gesture was unmistakable. Porzingis wanted his alley-oop partner to throw a ball high over the rim in his regular-season debut Monday night.

Brown initially gave no indication that he had seen the connection, only because he wanted to deceive the defense.

“They put pressure on me as a ball handler on the field, and as soon as I broke through the defensive line, I knew I was going to have KP,” Brown said after the Boston Celtics’ 126-94 win. “They didn’t want to just let me go straight to the basket. I knew I would have KP, so I just put it there for him and let him do the rest.”

After taking a step deep, Brown rose on one leg and threw a pass high over the outstretched arms of Ivica Zubac. Brown craned his neck to see Porzingis fire home the big dunk and then wagged his tongue to celebrate the return of his favorite assist goal.

“‘Cookies and Cream’ is back,” Brown said, citing a nickname the duo adopted last season. “Let’s get it.”

After missing the first 17 games of the regular season while recovering from offseason ankle surgery, Porzingis is back. Even though the Celtics went 14-3 without him, they believe he completes them. Jayson Tatum recently called the big man Boston’s cheat code. Porzingis can definitely look like that sometimes. Even when he’s not at his best, like he was on Monday, he opens up different styles of play for the Celtics.

The LA Clippers started the game with drop coverage against Porzingis. He had no problem making wide open 3-point attempts by simply banging inside the arc. When LA finally switched pick-and-rolls, Porzingis lined up the team’s wings and drew a few shooting fouls against them. None of the Celtics’ other big men even attempt to gain an edge, but Porzingis is one of the league’s most efficient forces down low, especially against switches. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said skill “changes the frequency of the game.”

“The Clippers do a great job of changing matchups and coverages on the fly, and we were able to recognize that throughout the game and kind of get the shot we wanted,” Mazzulla said. “But it’s important for us to have a post presence that allows us to achieve different looks.”

Porzingis’ physical appearance wasn’t too early. After his third miss in three minutes, he clapped his hands together and smiled sheepishly. Given all the free shots the Clippers’ drop coverage allowed him, Porzingis couldn’t believe he started his regular-season debut by making just one of his first four field goal attempts. He said he can easily score points in a match like the one against Zubac because of how easily he can create open perimeter looks.

“This type of matchup for me, these guys, it’s like a pick-and-roll and I’m completely open to shooting a 3,” Porzingis said. “Didn’t blow her away tonight.”

Porzingis finished the game with 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting, but only hit one of his six 3-point attempts. His teammates didn’t care about his missed shots from outside. They loved seeing Porzingis on the court with them again. They felt his presence, his calming touch. The way nothing ever seems to faze him. He even left his mark on his way to court. To add to the drama of his return, Porzingis did not run out of the locker room at the same time as his teammates to warm up before the game. Instead, he made his way to court a few minutes later. The JumboTron showed Porzingis with a coffee cup in his right hand approaching the Celtics tunnel through a back hallway. When Porzingis reached the court, he gestured toward the crowd with a smile, put down the cup and strolled over to fire his first practice shot from well outside the 3-point arc.

He took to the floor in his own way, with typical Porzingis cool.

“The strike was incredible,” Payton Pritchard said. “That gave us energy.”

Brown called Porzingis a legend.

“Did you see his strike?” Brown said. “That’s just him. He definitely brings that pride and energy to our team and it was great to have him back out there.”

Boston rolled in its return. Against the Clippers’ fifth-ranked defense, the Celtics scored 51 points in the second quarter alone and set an NBA record with 12 3-pointers made in a single quarter. In these 12 minutes, the Boston offense tested the limits of its performance. It recorded assists on 14 of its 17 made field goals in the quarter. While they shot 17 of 25 from the field, including 12 of 17 from behind the arc, they made more three-pointers than the Clippers made field goals. It was the Celtics franchise’s highest scoring quarter since 1970 and the third highest in franchise history. Pritchard said “the flow was incredible” during that stretch.

Not everything came together with Porzingis on the court. Not everything was right for him in the lineup, but the Celtics didn’t expect him to reintegrate seamlessly. Mazzulla said he expects an adjustment period as the team figures out what different types of coverages opponents will play against them.

With a lot of attention being paid to Porzingis’ offense, the Celtics seemed more excited about the defensive impact he will make. Their rim protection suffered in his absence. They fell from third to 12th by preventing shots within 4 feet while allowing teams to shoot much better on the layup attempts they did get. Overall, their defensive efficiency fell from second to tenth – still good, just not as high as any other Boston team of late.

Mazzulla smiled when asked how Porzingis’ return would change the defense, particularly rim protection.

“We had 11 blocks tonight,” Mazzulla said. “Yes, it helps.”

Porzingis had two of them, including a big one late in the second quarter. As Dunn turned toward the baseline, Porzingis turned and hit the Clippers guard at the rim. With his hands outstretched, Porzingis swallowed the dunk attempt and forced a shot clock violation.

He said he felt good physically upon his return, but also pointed out that he suffered flat tires on his two alley-oop finishes. He laughed about how he barely got over the edge to convert a pass from Pritchard. Porzingis shrugged off the lack of air he got on that basket, calling it “part of the process, especially (in) the first game back.”

“That’s normal,” Porzingis said.

Porzingis played only 22 minutes but said he doesn’t expect major limitations. That’s a sign of how confident he and the team feel in his body.

When Porzingis last appeared in the deciding game of the fifth NBA Finals, he knew he would need postseason surgery to correct his rare ankle injury. Although it took him five months to return to action, he described the recovery process as “one of the easiest rehabs I’ve had.” After a tough four-to-six week period immediately after surgery during which he had to avoid the ankle completely (he moved around on a scooter), he said, “It honestly felt pretty natural.”

The Celtics expressed optimism about the big man’s recovery throughout the process. At media day, Brad Stevens called the team “very, very happy” with Porzingis’ progress. Before games, the 2.17 meter tall center could regularly be seen training on the pitch, often accompanied by one of the team’s coaches who defended him. Porzingis took the next step in his rehab last week when he worked out with the Maine Celtics at the Auerbach Center. Around that time, Mazzulla learned that Porzingis was targeting Monday’s meeting with the Clippers for his return.

He easily beat the original schedule.

“I would say the whole rehab was – I was ahead the whole time,” Porzingis said. “I was itching to do more, to start more. Sprints, this, this, contact, one-on-one, so I was always asking the medical staff to do more. But I was still smart and we completed all the stages up to this point and I told them: “If you give me the green light and I can start playing, I want to do it as soon as possible.” So, yeah , that’s it. And I got here maybe even a month early, and it’s nice to be back out there.”

The Celtics weren’t entirely comfortable without Porzingis. They have proven they can win without him, but believe they are far stronger with him.

“He was a joy to have (on the field),” Brown said. “His energy, his presence were fantastic. We just have to keep building as a team. The last year is over. It’s a new year. It’s good to be so proud, but at the same time we have to keep our humility, treat every opponent with respect and just take care of business.”