Boston

Celtics

Pritchard played 26 minutes off the bench in the blowout win and was a team-leading +30. He hit 6-of-10 attempts from behind the 3-point line, which also led the team. Pritchard’s minutes, points, threes and steals are up this year while his assists are slightly down. He’s a specialist, but can definitely help fantasy teams in need of threes and chip in with some steals as well.

Porzingis got the start, but only played 23 minutes in his return from offseason surgery. It’s unclear if he would’ve played more minutes if the game was closer. In the 32-point blowout win, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was content to give Neemias Queta 25 minutes off the bench. Still, the early returns on Porzingis were good despite Boston easing him back in minutes-wise.

The Clippers had allowed fewer than 100 points in four straight games, but had no answer for the Celtics offense in this one. In the 2nd quarter, Boston dropped 51 points, which was the highest scoring quarter in the league this year, and tied an NBA record with 12 3-pointers. Tatum only played 30 minutes in the blowout win and there will be more of them to come as the Celtics have reached another level with the return of Kristaps Porzingis.

The Celtics will roll out their preferred starting lineup for the first time this season as Porzingis makes his debut after undergoing offseason leg surgery. While Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla did not provide a specific number when asked how many minutes KP will be allowed to play, fantasy managers should expect to see caution exercised. Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman will be the backups, as Boston is without Al Horford and Luke Kornet.

Horford sitting out Monday’s game is unsurprising, as he does not usually play both games of back-to-backs. His and Kornet’s absences free up minutes in the post, with Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman in position to benefit. Also, Kristaps Porzingis is available to make his season debut, but the expectation is that his minutes will be restricted.

Kristaps Porzingis will make his season debut Monday, but don’t expect big minutes in his first game back. Instead, look to Neemias Queta to see meaningful playing time at center while Horford and Kornet are sidelined.

Porzingis underwent left leg surgery back in June and was expected to return in five to six months. A September update gave him a targeted return date of December, so he’s ahead of schedule based on that timeline. Given his long layoff and extensive injury history, there’s no question Porzingis will face a minutes restriction in his first game back. The Celtics will surely bring him along slowly, meaning Al Horford should continue to play meaningful center minutes at least for the immediate future.

White continues to be a steady presence for the Celtics. While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown took more shots, White was a team-high +8 in 37 minutes in the two-point win. He also led Boston in rebounds, assists and blocks. Kristaps Porzingis’ eventual return will impact the Celtics’ rotation, but shouldn’t significantly impact White’s fantasy value. Porzingis is also still without a concrete timeline. Boston has three games in Week 6, starting with the Clippers on Monday in the second game of a back-to-back.

Tatum continues to struggle from the field. In his last two games, he’s 14-of-40 with 42 points. Tatum was 5-of-12 from behind the 3-point line Sunday after an 0-of-10 performance on Friday against the Wizards, so that was a marked improvement. Tatum gets enough usage that even in a shooting slump, he can get 26 points. The Celtics have three games in Week 6, starting with the Clippers on Monday in the second game of a back-to-back.

The Celtics appeared to make a grave mistake by leaving Anthony Edwards open for a 3-pointer with two-point lead and a minute and a half remaining in the fourth quarter, but Edwards missed. Jayson Tatum got the long rebound and Brown drained a 3-pointer to put the Celtics up by five, essentially sealing the win for Boston. Brown played a complete game. He chipped in with a steal and a block and only had one turnover in 36 minutes. Brown led the game with 29 points and seven made 3-pointers. Boston has three games in Week 6, starting with the Clippers on Monday in the second game of a back-to-back.