4 takeaways as Celtics crush Clippers after historic quarter

The Celtics will now get three days off before their final NBA Cup pool play game on Friday against the Bulls.

Here are four takeaways from the Celtics win on Monday night:

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Kristaps Porzingis looked ready for season debut: The Celtics gave a bit of a surprise to everyone when they announced Monday that Porzingis was set to return following offseason surgery after a 17-game absence. It was clear from the opening tip though that Porzingis was ready to jump into action headfirst. The seven-footer was prominently involved in Boston’s first four possessions of the game as the team looked to stretch the Clippers’ defense with his 3-point range. His 3-point shot was a little rusty early but Porzingis held up quite well physically in an opening seven-minute stint. His defense was particularly encouraging as he had a block on the rim against Kris Dunn and was a strong deterrent on drives against Clipper wings. He also held up in the post well against Ivaca Zubac. Porzingis finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 23 minutes and now will get three days off before the Celtics next game on Friday in Chicago.

Second quarter scoring explosion: The Celtics offense found a different gear after a slow start in the first quarter, erupting for a season-high 51 points in the second quarter. It was the third highest scoring quarter in franchise history. Boston was red-hot from 3-point range in the period, shooting 70 percent from the field and 3-point range with beautiful ball movement (14 assists on 27 made field goals). The Celtics outscored the Clippers by 22 points in the frame (51-29) and led to the team opening up a 29-point lead at halftime against one of the toughest defenses in the NBA through 18 games.

Payton Pritchard adds to his 6th man case: The Celtics starting five may be back at full strength but Pritchard’s impact was just as meaningful on Monday night. Pritchard was one of five Celtics in double figures in the first half with 12 points including four makes from beyond the arc. However, he did his best work in the third quarter when he helped put a halt to a 22-8 Clippers run to start the half with back-to-back 3s. The quick offense gave Boston a bit of breathing room by pushing their lead back to 21 points and took the wind out of the Clippers sails. They got no closer than 19 points the rest of the way as Pritchard led the team with 20 points in just 26 minutes.

Neemias Queta makes successful return to rotation: With Luke Kornet and Al Horford sidelined, Neemias Queta was back in the Joe Mazzulla’s rotation after receiving a DNP-CD against the Wolves for the first time in weeks on Sunday night. Queta delivered with one of his best performances in weeks as part of a stellar bench unit. He was active on the glass and had infective rim protection (2 blocks). Perhaps more importantly, he was a better facilitator on offense, looking for Boston’s shooters on the perimeters more often with handoffs while also setting effective screens. It’s unclear just how much run Queta will get in the coming weeks once the team has their full big rotation available but this outing showed why Queta pushed his way into the rotation in the first place.