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There wasn’t a whole lot of doubt in the outcome of the Boston Celtics game against the Washington Wizards on Sunday, March 17. Despite playing without three starters, the Celtics cruised to a 130-104 victory on the road for their fifth straight victory.
The Celtics built a 45-27 lead after one quarter and never looked back. While the outcome was never in question, there were come exciting moments that led to Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser teaming up to make NBA history.
Jayson Tatum, Sam Hauser Make NBA History in Celtics Win
You’d never know the Celtics were short-handed against the Wizards. Boston continued to follow the next-man-up game plan in Washington with starters Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White all sitting out Sunday.
Hauser, Oshae Brissett, and Al Horford just into the starting lineup, and the Celtics didn’t skip a beat. Boston improved its NBA-leading record to 53-14.
Of the three, Hauser did much of the damage. The sharp-shooting forward put up a career-high 30 points on a career-best 10 3-pointers. Hauser went 10-for-13 from the floor in 23 minutes. All 13 of his attempts were from long range. He also added six rebounds.
Tatum wasn’t as effective as Hauser from 3-point land, but he was still had himself quite a night. He shot 50% from beyond the arc (6-for-12) and was 8-for-17 from the floor. He also had 30 points and six rebounds. Tatum also racked up six assists. He played 27 minutes.
According to Taylor Snow, the Celtics’ in-house Senior Writer, Hauser and Tatum are the first duo in NBA history to to each put up at least 30 points in the same game and play fewer than 27 minutes.
Hauser’s Night Ended Early With an Ankle Injury
Hauser knocked down seven of his 3-pointers before halftime as the Celtics took an 81-53 lead into the locker room. He drained three more in the second half, his final one giving the Celtics a 92-56 lead with 9:27 still remaining in the third quarter.
Hauser left the game midway through the third quarter after landing awkwardly after firing up his final shot of the game in front of the Wizards bench. He landed fine after releasing the shot, but when he went to gather himself and head back down the court, he twisted his ankle, seemingly by stepping on one of the members on the Washington bench.
Hauser wasn’t immediately available for comment after the game, but Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said he believed Hauser was undergoing “cautionary” X-rays.
“I haven’t heard anything,” Mazzulla said postgame. “I heard he was getting an X-ray, so we’ll find out. It was a cautionary X-ray was what they said.”
Mazzulla loved Hauser’s confidence and how his team kept feeding the hot hand.
“”Loved his confidence, loved his aggressiveness, loved how guys looked for him, and I love how he got his shots within the flow of our execution,” Mazzulla said. “That’s the weapon that he is. His ability to put two on the ball, his ability to create open shots for himself. It was fun to watch him shoot ’em. It was fun to watch these guys look for him.”
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