Porzingis scores 24 in return as Celtics hold off Nets

Kristaps Porzingis scored 24 points in his return to the starting lineup as the Boston Celtics held on for a 115-113 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

The Latvian big man had been out of the lineup since Feb. 27 with a virus. The 7-foot-2 center was also a late scratch against the Toronto Raptors with a non-COVID illness Feb. 25.

Porzingis announced that an unidentified viral illness had kept him sidelined earlier this week. Boston went 6-2 in the eight-game stretch without their starting center.

Porzingis was averaging 18.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 32 games heading into Saturday's game versus Brooklyn. He was absent for the first 17 games of the campaign after undergoing ankle surgery in June.

Jaylen Brown also returned from a knee injury, but he later exited Saturday's contest because of back spasms and did not return. Al Horford (toe sprain) and Derrick White (knee contusion) were unavailable against Brooklyn.

The Celtics are second in the East with a 49-19 record.