BOSTON — The TD Garden crowd was on its feet, chanting "One more three!" in the final minutes of Friday night's 144-118 demolition of the New Orleans Pelicans. The Boston Celtics had just tied the NBA record with 29 three-pointers, and history was one more make away. It didn't come — but what Boston did clinch was arguably more significant: the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Celtics had three opportunities to break the record, shared by Boston itself (Oct. 22, 2024 vs. New York), the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Milwaukee Bucks, in the game's final minute. Luka Garza passed up an attempt and drove for a dunk, Baylor Scheierman missed from the wing, and then coach Joe Mazzulla instructed his team to hold the ball, taking a shot clock violation with one second remaining rather than force a shot purely for the record books.
Eight different Celtics players hit at least two three-pointers on the night. Sam Hauser led the charge with 24 points and eight threes, while Payton Pritchard contributed 21 points, 10 assists, and five triples. Even center Neemias Queta got in on the action, burying his first career three-pointer to go with 10 rebounds — a moment that sent the entire Boston bench into celebration. Hauser's one-word review of Queta's make: "Buttery."
The win pushed Boston to 55-26, marking at least 50 victories in each of Mazzulla's four seasons as head coach — a feat made all the more remarkable given the roster upheaval the Celtics endured. The departures of former starters Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford, combined with Jayson Tatum being limited to just 16 games this season, led many prognosticators to write off the defending champions as lottery-bound.
"You set 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," Pritchard said. "The honor of reaching a top seed when many people didn't believe in that — you take that in and now take a couple of days and get back to work. We've got something else to prove now."
As for the missed record, Pritchard offered a playful suggestion for the next time the Celtics find themselves flirting with history. "Maybe they've got to be quiet and we can break it one day," he said of the raucous crowd whose enthusiasm may have added just a touch too much pressure in those final possessions. With the playoff seeding secured and the roster clicking, Boston appears ready to channel that energy where it matters most — the postseason.