Celtics guard Dennis Schröder returned to the lineup Sunday as Boston defeated the Orlando Magic, making his first appearance since Dec. 22 after missing four games due to a stint in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
After the game — a 116-111 overtime victory for the host Celtics — Schröder opened up about his time in the protocols, which he entered on Christmas Day after missing two games with a non-COVID illness.
The 28-year-old said he was “not really” experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 during his time on the sidelines.
“I think the first day I had a little headache and fever, but I think after that I was pretty good,” he said after the win.
Schröder logged 21 points, seven assists and three rebounds in 40 minutes of action in the 116-111 overtime victory for the host Celtics.
His return showed the Celtics really have turned a corner following their COVID-19 outbreak, which resulted in injury reports long enough to fill five tweets.
Jayson Tatum, who entered protocols right after Schröder became the 13th Celtics player to do so in roughly one week, also made progress toward a return. The star still was out for Sunday’s win, but appeared to be out of protocols and instead working on ramping up his conditioning after time away.
The Celtics next host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
