But despite that drop in difficulty, the Celtics came away encouraged by Porzingis’ play. Head coach Joe Mazzulla said in his postgame news conference that Porzingis “was big-time … on both ends of the floor” and “the most physical” he’d been since his return from surgery. Teammates agreed.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 15 points in the first quarter as he looked more like the difference-maker he was throughout last season.

Holiday missed a third straight game for the Celtics, while Porzingis sat out both ends of a back-to-back with the Pacers.

Holiday recently opened up about the impact Porzingis has on Boston's ability to stack victories after a recent win over the Denver Nuggets.