Gordon Hayward admits he was feeling anxious ahead of his first return to the Quicken Loans Arena since suffering a gruesome ankle injury that robbed him of a year of his career.

The Boston Celtics forward contributed 18 points off nine-for-14 shooting, as well as five assists and six rebounds in the 103-96 victory at the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It marked the first time Hayward had played at the venue since he was injured on his Celtics debut in the 2017-18 season opener, which saw him miss the entire campaign.

Speaking about his return, Hayward said: "I told my wife I was a little anxious about it for sure.

"I was sitting in my hotel room last night, thinking about how everything changed, where I was sitting a year ago from now, just trying to find some perspective, I guess, and happy I was out there.

"I just [thought about] the aftermath of everything, sitting in the X-ray room, the people that were there, the people back in the locker room with me, some of the phone calls I remember after it happened."

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Those anxieties wore off pretty quick for Hayward, who was content with his showing.

"After I got up and was running around for a little bit they [the nerves] were gone, but warming up and even at shootaround this morning [they were there]," he added.

"I thought it was an okay performance, just finding some perspective and realising where I was last year and now.

"I was pretty joyful to even be out there. I even got a dunk and that was cool."