Key Moment
The Celtics and Wizards were locked up 17-all midway through the first quarter Sunday night, but it didn’t take long for the former to start running away toward a win.
Boston finished the final six minutes of the opening frame on a 28-10 run, closing out the quarter with a 45-27 lead – their highest-scoring first quarter on the road since Nov. 28, 2018 in Atlanta.
Jayson Tatum was the star of the first frame, scoring 18 points while knocking down 4-of-7 from long range. He played the entire quarter, but only had to play 14 more minutes for the rest of the game thanks to the lead that he helped to build.
Boston stayed up big for the rest of the night, extending its lead to as many as 36 points, before walking away with a 130-104 victory.
Key Player
Sam Hauser was well on his way to breaking the Celtics’ single-game 3-point record Sunday night before suffering a game-ending ankle injury early in the third quarter.
Prior to that point, he had been playing the best game of his life.
Hauser, in a spot start, racked up 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting from deep, finishing just one 3-point make shy of Marcus Smart’s franchise record. He did it all in less than 23 minutes of action, becoming the first player in NBA history to make at least 10 threes while playing fewer than 24 minutes.
Hauser tied the franchise record for threes in a half with seven makes during the first half. That included a 6-of-7 effort during the second quarter, which included five consecutive makes without a miss.
If it hadn’t been for the injury, he likely would have smashed the franchise record, but it was still probably the most impressive long-range shooting performance ever by a Celtic, all things considered.
Box Score Nuggets
- Sam Hauser and Jayson Tatum led the Celtics in scoring with 30 points apiece.
- Hauser and Tatum became the first duo in NBA history to score at least 30 points apiece while playing fewer than 27 minutes.
- Hauser logged career highs both in scoring and in 3-point makes with 10.
- Hauser became the third Celtic to make at least 10 3-pointers in a game, joining Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart.
- The Celtics became the first team in NBA history to make at least 24 3-pointers in back-to-back games.
- Jordan Poole scored a game-high 31 points for the Wizards.
- Payton Pritchard handed out a career-high 13 assists while also scoring 14 points.
- Boston handed out 30 assists on 43 field-goal makes.
- Scoring 81 points in the first half, the Celtics have now logged three first halves of more than 80 points this season, which ties an NBA record.
- Boston is now 26-17 all-time on St. Patrick's Day.
Quote of the Night
“I tell people all the time, Sam is in the top shooters of the league.”
– Payton Pritchard on Sam Hauser's historic 3-point effort