Kristaps Porzingis admitted that, while fighting his viral illness, there was some worry the longer it continued to linger. After some workouts, the crash afterwards left him bedridden as he wasn’t sure when he could be back on the court for the Celtics.

But in his three games back, Porzingis has been excellent. This time, it was a stellar performance of 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, chipping in just a little bit of everything as the Celtics beat the Jazz on Friday. He shot 9-for-15 from the field, along with 3-of-5 on 3-pointers, as he showcased why he makes the Celtics whole when he’s available on the court.

“I’m not feeling my best but just trying to maybe create a bit more, and that leads to more opportunities for myself and good looks,” Porzingis told NBC Sports Boston after the win. “Today, I finally had a good shooting night also from the 3. Things are just clicking and trying to play free and play selfless.”

Porzingis has put up arguably his best three-game stretch of the season since returning to the court. He’s averaging 25.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in those three games, shooting 61.4% from the field. Now, the competition isn’t exactly playoff-level as he played against the Nets twice and the Jazz once. But still, the process has been solid as his two-way play is a difference-maker.

It doesn’t hurt either that he’s doing this right after a lengthy layoff where he had to miss eight straight games. When he tried to play through the illness in the Pistons loss last month, he looked sluggish as part of an ineffective night. It would’ve been no surprise if Porzingis needed some time to get back up to game speed. Instead, C’s coach Joe Mazzulla threw him out for the entire fourth quarter during his first game back, so there was no easing the big man back into action.

The Celtics, of course, are going to be smart with Porzingis. The schedule this week lined up perfectly where there were two days off between each game, allowing Porzingis to fully rest up before seeing the court. Considering they’re on a six-game road trip with a back-to-back coming up, though, he’ll likely get some rest. Fortunately, the Celtics can afford to rest guys as they see fit considering they’re relatively static at second place in the East.

Regardless, this is the version of Porzingis that makes the Celtics so dangerous. They won the 2024 NBA title largely without him as he played in just seven total games. But the C’s dominated the league, going 64-18 in the regular season then 16-3 in the playoffs. This year, there are multiple formidable foes looming ahead of the playoffs. So the Celtics can’t miss out on Porzingis. Fortunately, if he can stay healthy — and that’s always an if — he continues to show why he’s such a vital piece for the defending champions.

“It’s going to be one of our longest road trips,” Porzingis said. “We want to have a good, good road trip even though it’s maybe not the highest-quality teams we’re going to play against. We want to show up and not play down to maybe the competition. Good to start with a win and want to keep it going.”

• BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.