Celtics' forgotten big man just reminded them what they've been missing

Boston Celtics v Washington Wizards | Stephen Gosling/GettyImagesBoston Celtics fans everywhere had to do a double-take after the team’s first timeout in Saturday’s 112-96 win (without Jaylen Brown) over the Toronto Raptors. Head coach Joe Mazzulla made a hockey-like substitution, swapping the four Celtics not named Payton Pritchard in favor of some fresh, more motivated legs from his bench.

“Is that… Luka Garza??”

— Sam LaFrance (@SamLaFranceNBA) December 21, 2025It sure was.

Garza checked in for his first first-quarter minutes since his Nov. 26 start against the Detroit Pistons. In other words, he nearly went from Thanksgiving to Christmas without seeing the floor in the opening 12 minutes…