For the first time in 210 days, the Celtics were able to trot out their preferred starting five Monday night at TD Garden.

The result: a hero’s welcome for the now-healthy Kristaps Porzingis and a comprehensive beatdown of one of the NBA’s hottest teams.

Boston steamrolled the Los Angeles Clippers 126-94 in Porzingis’ return from offseason leg surgery to improve to 15-3.

Porzingis played 22 minutes in his season debut, showing some expected signs of rust but finishing with 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal.

“I thought he played well,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We were able to get back to some of our defensive versatility. Obviously, a little bit of rim protection, a little bit more physicality on the ball because he was back there, so I thought he brought that. Offensively, he just really helped our spacing. It was good to get him back.”

Jayson Tatum led all Boston starters with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Derrick White added 19 points, seven assists, four rebounds and a steal, and Jaylen Brown scored 17, plus six boards, four assists, three steals and one block.

White (5-for-9) and bench scorers Payton Pritchard (6-for-10) and Sam Hauser (3-for-3) led another explosive 3-point effort for the Celtics, who went 22-for-51 (43.1%) from downtown in the win. Pritchard scored 20 points and grabbed two steals as his NBA Sixth Man of the Year campaign continued.

The Kawhi Leonard-less Clippers, owners of the league’s fourth-best defensive rating, came in riding a five-game win streak, during which they allowed just 96.8 points per game. The Celtics surpassed that mark before the end of the third quarter.

“I think when we’re at our best, you have to have an understanding of, ‘This is what we do,’” Mazzulla said. “When we’re at our best, we do this. And how long can we stay at the best version of ourselves?”

Porzingis, who missed Boston’s first 17 games, waited until 10 minutes into warmups to take the court, doing so with a smile on his face and a paper coffee cup in his right hand. His solo entrance preceded a personalized hype video that played on the Garden Jumbotron, its final shot an all-caps declaration: “HE’S BACK.”

The fan-favorite big man remained the center of attention once the game tipped off. Porzingis attempted 3-pointers on three of the Celtics’ four possessions and four of their first seven. Though he made just one of those — after his third miss, he grinned, seemingly acknowledging the impact of his long layoff — he was immediately impactful on the defensive end.

Before being subbed out for Neemias Queta seven minutes in, Porzingis helped force misses by Ivica Zubac, Amir Coffey and Derrick Jones Jr. with strong contests at the rim.

Rim protection was one of Boston’s biggest areas of concern in Porzingis’ absence — they dropped from fifth-best last season to eighth-worst this season in opponent shooting percentage inside the restricted area and first to 14th in blocks per game — so this was a welcome sight for Mazzulla and Co.

“Eleven blocks tonight,” the coach deadpanned. “It helps.”

Queta, a healthy DNP in Sunday’s win over Minnesota, blocked two shots in the first quarter, including one by James Harden. He had some difficulties against Zubac, who was LA’s only consistent scorer in the game (23 points on 11-of-14 shooting, 10 rebounds), but was a solid second option with Al Horford (illness/rest) and Luke Kornet (hamstring) both unavailable.

The Celtics led 27-20 after one quarter, then stretched their lead to 29 points in the second by doing what they do best: flooding their opponent beneath a tsunami of threes. They went 12-for-17 from deep during a merciless 51-point quarter — the third-highest-scoring quarter in franchise history and highest since 1970. White hit four triples on his own. Brown and Pritchard made three apiece. Hauser and Jrue Holiday each had one.

The 12 made threes tied the NBA record for a single quarter. It also equaled the total number of threes the Clippers attempted in the entire first half. Boston led 78-49 at halftime.

“I just felt like we were playing with really good pace,” said Pritchard, who was a team-best plus-30 in the win. “Makes, misses, getting it out quick, running to our spots. I feel like when we play fast like that, we get great looks, and the flow was incredible.”

Porzingis did not have a hand in that second-quarter 3-point parade, but impacted the game in several other areas. He threw down an acrobatic dunk off a Brown alley-oop, scored on a put-back after a Brown miss, assisted on two made threes, notched one steal and recorded one official block, plus another as the Clippers’ shot clock expired to force a 24-second violation.

The Celtics went cold to start the third quarter, surrendering a 10-0 Clippers run that spanned more than 4 1/2 minutes. Tatum ended Boston’s scoring drought with a dunk, then Porzingis went to work, manipulating post-ups to score six straight Celtics points across four possessions.

A flurry of threes from Pritchard (two) and Hauser (one) gave Boston some additional breathing room, and despite scoring just 21 points in the frame, it took a 21-point lead into the fourth quarter.

The Celtics cruised from there, with the Garden crowd reaching max volume after Pritchard slipped past a Clippers defender and lofted a lob to Porzingis, who slammed it home.

Asked whether Porzingis’ return gave Boston an emotional lift, Mazzulla replied: “Yeah, no question.”

“I think he’s a high-level personality,” he said, “but I think any time — obviously we built an identity with him last year, and I think the guys were excited to get him back. We were ready to have him back. … I think each guy likes playing with him because of just how he plays and the pressure that we can take off each other. So we definitely felt that.”

Mazzulla emptied his bench midway through the fourth, giving late minutes to the seldom-used Jaden Springer and Baylor Scheierman. Queta was a force in garbage time, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals.

The Celtics are off until Friday, when they visit the Chicago Bulls in their final game of NBA Cup group play.

Originally Published: November 25, 2024 at 9:41 PM EST

BostonBruins.com – Take a look at how the Boston Bruins’ prospects are performing through Providence, the NCAA, and junior hockey leagues.

Providence

Goaltending was the story of the weekend in the Providence Bruins’ two-game weekend series at home against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Brandon Bussi recorded a 30-save shutout on Friday night, bolstering the P-Bruins to a 3-0 victory over the Phantoms. The Sound Beach, New York, native earned his first shutout of the season and the fourth of his career.

Bussi was thrilled with his overall game in the team’s victory.

“I just competed really hard,” Bussi said immediately following Friday’s win. “These kinds of games, you have to bring your lunchbox and get to work. They [Lehigh Valley] are a good team, and they make it hard on you. You’ve got to compete.”

Michael DiPietro got the start between the pipes on Saturday and backboned the P-Bruins to a 2-1 overtime victory over the Phantoms. The Windsor, Ontario, native stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced to earn his sixth win of the season. The netminder improved his numbers to a 2.08 goals against average and a .924 save percentage to start the season.

Georgii Merkulov, fresh off a three-game stretch with Boston, returned to Providence in style over the weekend, netting the winning goal in Saturday’s overtime victory over the Phantoms.

The Ryazan, Russia, native caught a stretch pass from Ian Mitchell to send him on a breakaway, where he deked and flipped the puck past the Phantoms netminder to win the game for Providence. With 13 points early in the season, the forward has at least one point in his last seven AHL games, with nine total in that span.

Merkulov believes the key to keep the team’s momentum going starts with how the team practices.

“We have to be good in practice,” said Merkulov following Saturday’s win. “It starts with practice. We have to chip away every day. I’m looking forward to next week.”

Good Monday Morning, all.

As if it were needed, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu provided further confirmation last week that she won’t be “[rolling] out the welcome mat” for the incoming Trump administration if it comes to town and starts trying to deport people.

The Democratic mayor’s comments came after President-Elect Donald Trump’s pick for border czar, Tom Homan, dismissed Wu, a two-time Harvard grad, as “not very smart” for her very public defiance, and questioned why any public official would stand in the way of getting criminals off the streets.

“They can not cooperate,” Homan told the cable news channel NewsMax last week, according to The Boston Herald. “But there are certain laws in place that they can’t cross and I hope she doesn’t cross it.”

Wu fired back in a statement, arguing that Trump and his lieutenants can “say whatever they want about me, but our public safety record speaks for itself: Boston is the safest major city in America.”

The mayor’s tough talk represented the latest escalation in tensions between the Bay State’s top Democrats and the incoming Republican White House as it firms up its plans to use the U.S. military to deport millions of people who are in the country illegally.

If Trump carries through on those plans, tens of thousands of people in Massachusetts also could be deported. However, the effort is expected to face vigorous legal challenges.

Democratic Gov. Maura Healey already has said that the State Police won’t be put to work assisting the new administration.

• Read More: A big climate bill is headed to Mass. Gov. Healey’s desk. What’s next? | Bay State Briefing

In an interview with MSNBC earlier this month. Healey noted that “every tool in the toolbox has got to be used to protect our citizens, to protect our residents, and protect our states, and certainly to hold the line on democracy and the rule of law.”

Massachusetts Republican Party Chairperson Amy Carnevale slammed Healey and Wu in a statement last week, saying that it’s “appalling and disgusting” that the two pols are “prioritizing appeasing the most radical elements of their political base over the safety of Massachusetts residents.”

Carnevale’s statement came in response to the news that federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Boston had arrested two undocumented immigrants on child rape charges and taken another into custody who had been convicted of the same charge in Brazil.

“Parents across the Commonwealth are horrified that individuals charged with such serious crimes are allowed to roam free because local authorities refuse to work with ICE to remove these criminals from our streets,” Carnevale continued.

X boss Elon Musk also weighed in, attacking state policies and Boston’s decade-old status as a sanctuary city.

“Why are ‘sanctuary’ cities protecting child rapists? Unconscionable. Any politician who does so should be recalled immediately,” the billionaire, and close Trump ally, posted to the social media site, WBUR reported.

In that same statement, Wu defended the city’s approach.

• Sign up right here for MassLive’s new politics newsletter, Bay State Briefing ― Your weekly round-up of Massachusetts political news and the people and policies driving those stories.

“Our homicide rates are among the lowest of any city nationally, and gun violence has been at an all-time historic low over the last two years here in Boston,” Wu said, according to WCVB-TV in Boston.

“This is no coincidence — it’s a reflection of the trust between our residents and our public safety officials and a result of our daily focus on community policing and coordinating city services. We will continue to focus on that work and have no intention of rolling out the welcome mat for them,” she continued.

At least one Bay State Democrat has acknowledged that the party’s immigration policies are a political liability.

Speaking to business leaders in Boston last week, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-8th District, said the Democrats’ policies have “caused people to be afraid.”

“Our task is to know who is coming into the country — to have an orderly process that does not scare the bejesus out of people of Arizona and New Mexico,” Lynch said.

Can you hear them now?

There’s no doubt that Election Day went pretty well for Massachusetts Democrats. Vice President Kamala Harris handily carried the state; U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren coasted to reelection, and the party retained its super-majority on Beacon Hill.

Nonetheless, Bay State Dems are engaging in the same kind of group introspection that’s kind of become a cottage industry since Nov. 5.

Party officials announced a “virtual listening tour” last week that will analyze what worked and what didn’t in 2024; gather feedback on areas for improvement, and “foster a collaborative environment where all voices are heard.

“Your voice matters, and this is your opportunity to help us build on our successes and strengthen our movement for the future. Together, we can ensure the Massachusetts Democratic Party continues to represent and advocate for the values that matter most to our communities,” state Democratic Chairman Steve Kerrigan said in a statement.

Details on the sessions, conducted over Zoom, will be coming soon, the party said.

The plural of caucus is …

U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, has joined with several of his House colleagues to launch a pro-housing caucus on Capitol Hill. The group has been dubbed the “YIMBY Caucus.” Or “Yes in My Backyard.”

Other members of the bipartisan group include U.S. Reps. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz.; Scott Peters and Robert Garcia, both Democrats of California; Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo.; Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., and Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., Auchincloss’ office said in a statement announcing its creation.

“The cost of housing is the greatest economic challenge facing Massachusetts. The answer: build more housing,” the Newton lawmaker said. “At all levels of government, Americans need permitting & land use reforms that unlock more housing production.”

Zzzzz …

If you lost sleep on Election Night, take heart, you’re hardly alone.

Nearly 93% of Americans said the nation’s quadrennial political drama cost them some shut-eye this year, according to a post-election study by SleepCycle.

The website analyzed more than 593,000 sleep sessions to come up with its results. And if there’s any comfort, Americans slept better in 2024 than they did during the 2020 election, the analysis found.

In Massachusetts, 73% of residents reported some quality shuteye on Nov. 5. And most of you headed to bed around 11:35 p.m., according to the analysis.

Voters in Wyoming got the soundest sleep on Election Day, while Mississippi voters had the roughest night, the analysis found.

They said it

“They continue to deliver on the schedule that we’ve set, and the quality has not shifted. Quality, in fact, has gotten better … All of the learning curve that took place during the Orange Line [car delivery] prior to myself getting here is being factored in, so now the Red Line cars are performing right off the bat.”

— MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng on the improving quality of the T’s newly delivered Red and Orange Line cars after the agency “reset” its contract with Chinese manufacturer CRRC (via State House News Service).

More MassLive politics coverage

A new state law could ease Mass.’ nursing shortage. Here’s how

Boston council worried about missing ballots, but says receivership is ‘premature’

Economic development bill green-lights investments across Western Massachusetts

Mass. Gov Healey signs nearly $4B economic development bill clearing the field for new Revs stadium

Mass. Rep. Clark retains top House leadership post

Mass. rail backers push for ‘Northern Tier’ passenger trains

Charles Luster, co-founder of Uncommonwealth Group, running for Worcester City Council

Turned up to 11

Because, sometimes, you just need to start the work week with Carly Rae Jepsen. Here she is, live, with Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers with a live version of “Tiny Moves,” recorded at Fisher Green Pavilion in Seattle in July.

Your Monday long read

President-elect Donald Trump has been populating his incoming administration with allies and loyalists from the two states he calls home — New York and Florida. On Friday, the Republican named former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his choice for U.S. attorney general.

Writing for The Dispatch, Michael Warren delves into the Sunshine State’s move into the national spotlight.

Here’s the germane bit:

“No one represents this Florida takeover better than Susie Wiles, the co-chair of Trump’s 2024 campaign who will serve as his White House chief of staff. And Wiles is not just the architect (along with Chris LaCivita) of Trump’s victory this year,” Warren wrote. “She’s a powerhouse in Florida Republican politics, getting a large amount of credit for both Rick Scott’s out-of-nowhere victory in his 2010 run for governor and Ron DeSantis’ win in the 2018 gubernatorial race. Wiles ran the Trump campaign’s Florida operation in 2016, putting the state back in the Republican column for the first time since 2004. In the eight years since, Florida has only tipped further into the GOP’s column, up and down the ballot.”

That’s it for this morning. Tips, comments, and suggestions can be sent to jmicek@masslive.com. Have a good week, folks.