Kristaps Porzingis returned after receiving five stitches as Boston beat Orlando 109-100 and took a 2-0 first-round series lead.
The Celtics centre finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds despite leaving late in the third quarter with blood covering his head.
Bitadze elbow opens a cut
Porzingis and Goga Bitadze challenged for a rebound with 55 seconds left in the third.
Bitadze caught Porzingis in the forehead on the way down. Officials reviewed the contact and assessed a flagrant 1.
Porzingis went to the locker room with a towel pressed against the cut, then returned with his head bandaged while the review was still taking place.
Porzingis returns to finish the game
He split the resulting free throws, left once more and came back with 7:15 remaining.
Porzingis did not score again but collected two more rebounds and helped Boston protect its lead.
He said there was no reason to stay out when his legs were working, and teammate Jaylen Brown praised his willingness to compete through the injury.
Brown leads Boston without Tatum
Brown scored 36 points with 10 rebounds and five assists while Jayson Tatum sat out with a bruised wrist.
Derrick White added 17 for Boston. Paolo Banchero scored 32 and Franz Wagner 25 for Orlando.
The physical victory gave the Celtics control before the series moved to Florida. Porzingis’s return also provided the moment that captured Boston’s refusal to be intimidated.
