NBA Playoffs 2020: Boston Celtics laud Gordon Hayward after his return in Game 3 win over Miami Heat

Gilbert McGregor

NBA Playoffs 2020: Boston Celtics laud Gordon Hayward after his return in Game 3 win over Miami Heat image

He might have scored just six points but Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward made his mark as he returned to action in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

TAKEAWAYS: Celtics earn crucial Game 3 victory

After missing nearly five weeks with a Grade 3 ankle sprain, Hayward saw 30 minutes of action and added five rebounds, four assists and three steals in Boston's 11-point win to avoid falling down into a 0-3 series deficit.

Following the Celtics' crucial win, a number of Celtics were complimentary of Hayward, from head coach Brad Stevens to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

"I thought he did what he's done all year," Stevens told reporters. "He didn't shoot it quite as much, but he is a stabilizing force for our team … He makes us better, that's for sure."

After checking in at the 5:06 mark of the first quarter, Hayward almost immediately made his presence felt with this dish to a rolling Daniel Theis.

Brown spoke on Hayward's passing, saying "Gordon was great. He gave us an extra body. He can make plays. He's only going to continue to go up," per Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports

MORE: Celtics need Hayward now more than ever

It was Tatum that had quite possibly the biggest compliment for Hayward, saying "we're so much better when he's out there, so much more dynamic, so much more versatile … To have him back is everything."

Hayward, who entered Game 3 on a "minutes monitoring," per Jay King of The Athletic, ended up playing much more than the team planned for him to. According to Mark Medina of USA Today, Hayward said that he was "extremely tired right now. My ankle is pretty sore."

Working in the favour of Hayward and the Celtics is that they will have three days off before taking the floor for Game 4, which is set for Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6 a.m IST.

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.