Neemias Queta Makes Celtics History In Dazzling Return From Injury
Neemias Queta missed his first game of the season for the Boston Celtics last week, sitting out Wednesday’s home game against the Detroit Pistons with a left ankle sprain.
Queta initially suffered the injury during last Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic, limiting him to just six minutes in the Celtics’ 138-129 victory. Boston managed to win without him on Wednesday, snapping the Pistons’ franchise-record 13-game winning streak with a narrow 117-114 victory.
Queta only missed one game before returning to action for the Celtics during Saturday’s road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While Boston lost 119-115, it wasn’t his fault.
The 26-year-old center didn’t skip a beat, logging 29 minutes in his return. Not only did he turn in the best game of his career, but it was also one of the best games by a Celtics big man in decades.
Despite dealing with Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, Queta dominated the boards with a career-high 18 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. He was also highly efficient with his scoring, tying his personal best with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
He added two blocks on the defensive end as well, becoming the first Boston player since Robert Parish in 1989 with 19 points, 18 rebounds, 10 defensive rebounds, eight offensive rebounds and two blocks in the same game.
Queta has flourished in his first season as a starter, averaging career highs in nearly every category. He’s stepped up this year following the offseason departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet, taking on a much larger workload and establishing himself as one of the best interior defenders in the league.
Following Queta’s monster game yesterday, the Celtics ruled him out for today’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers to avoid overextending him. He’ll look to return to the court for Tuesday’s home game against the New York Knicks.