Watch: Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis starts hot in his return

The Boston Celtics’ big man came off the bench to lead all scorers with 11 first quarter points as the Celtics jumped out to a 37-20 lead after one quarter.

The Celtics initially feared Porzingis had injured his Achilles tendon when he left Game 4 of their first-round series with the Miami Heat on April 29. 

But the long layoff helped Porzingis recover, and if anything he’s shooting better in his return.

When Porzingis entered the game with 7:11 to go, Boston was up by one point. When the quarter was over, they were up 17. 

Some of that was Porzingis pouring in points, and some of it was Porzingis’ defense. He blocked two shots in the quarter, including an absolute erasure of Josh Green on a breakaway.

It’s the Latvian big man’s first NBA Finals, not to mention his first playoff game outside of the first round. 

Was it sweeter that it’s against his former team, the Mavericks? He’s certainly playing like it is.