BOSTON — The (*29*) flirted with a bit of NBA historical past in Friday night time’s 144-118 win over the Pelicans.
They did not fairly get it however did lock up one thing much more invaluable: the No. 2 seed within the East within the playoffs.
The Celtics tied a franchise and NBA record with 29 3-pointers, equaling their whole from Oct. 22, 2024, set towards the New York Knicks. The Memphis Grizzlies (April 6 vs. Cleveland) and Milwaukee Bucks (Dec. 29, 2020, at Miami) additionally share the record.
When Hugo Gonzalez tied the mark with 1:20 remaining within the sport, the TD Garden crowd started chanting, “One more three!” and rose to their ft.
“It’s easy to be aware of it when you hear the crowd and everything,” Payton Pritchard mentioned when requested afterward if he was conscious how shut they have been to the record. “Maybe they’ve got to be quiet and we can break it one day.”
Boston had three probabilities to interrupt it within the ultimate minute. First, Luka Garza handed up on an try and drove in for a dunk. After Garza blocked Jeremiah Fears‘ layup on the Pelicans’ ensuing possession, Baylor Scheierman missed a 3 from the wing off the again rim.
New Orleans’ Derik Queen was fouled and hit a pair of free throws with 27 seconds to play, giving the Celtics one ultimate likelihood. But coach Joe Mazzulla instructed his staff to carry the ball, they usually took a shot clock violation with 1 second remaining.
Eight Celtics gamers had not less than two 3-pointers within the sport. Big man Neemias Queta even received in on the motion, flattening his first profession 3 to go alongside with 10 rebounds. Queta’s 3 triggered all the bench to leap up in celebration.
Sam Hauser, who led Boston with 24 factors and eight 3-pointers, referred to as Queta’s make “buttery.”
The missed record apart, Pritchard mentioned it was nonetheless an evening to savor due to what it mentioned about how far this staff has come.
Boston (55-26) has not less than 50 wins in every of Mazzulla’s first 4 seasons. And this season’s staff did it after the departures of former starters Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford and with out Jayson Tatum for all however 16 video games. It’s one thing many outsiders predicted would relegate the Celtics to the draft lottery.
“You sit back and have an appreciation for the work that we’ve put in and the growth that we’ve made this year to get to this point and the honor of reaching a top seed when many people didn’t believe in that,” mentioned Pritchard, who completed with 21 factors, 10 assists and 5 3-pointers. “You take that in and now take a couple of days and get back to work. We’ve got something else to prove now.”
