Boston tied the NBA record for 3-pointers in a game and clinched the East's No. 2 seed Friday night, burying the New Orleans Pelicans 144-118 behind 29 makes from long range. The Celtics went 29-of-59 from 3-point range and matched the mark they had set earlier this season in the 2024-25 opener against the New York Knicks.
Sam Hauser did most of the damage, hitting eight 3-pointers and finishing with 24 points as Boston kept pouring it on. The Celtics made 17 3-pointers in the first half and another eight in the third quarter, then reached 116-82 after three quarters as the game drifted away from New Orleans.
Coach Joe Mazzulla said it came down to execution and a group that kept taking good shots. He said Hauser got hot, and once the shooter saw a few go in, he kept firing. Hauser said the record was bound to happen eventually, adding that every good thing comes to a point like this.
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The Celtics now share the NBA record with the Milwaukee Bucks, who hit 29 3-pointers in 2020, and the Memphis Grizzlies, who reached the same mark earlier in the month. Boston had chances to go one better, but the team did not take another shot on its final possession. Baylor Scheierman said he did not want another attempt late, saying it was typical to let the clock run when a team is up 40 points with 20 seconds left and calling himself an ethical hoops guy.
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Neemias Queta also got in on the barrage, making the first 3-pointer of his career in the third quarter. He called it buttery. For Boston, the night sharpened the celtics standings picture as much as the shot-making, locking in a No. 2 seed and underlining how far the offense can stretch when the Celtics are rolling.
