Celtics wanted Sam Hauser to make NBA history

When the Boston Celtics injury report was finalized on Sunday, the stage was set for some unique performances. Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White were all missing, meaning Boston’s role players would get a chance to shine.

Nobody knew that history was in the cards.

In just 22:49 of action, Sam Hauser nailed 10 three-pointers. Of the 94 performances in which a player has hit 10 or more threes, Hauser did it in the fewest number of minutes.

Hauser left the game midway through the third quarter with an ankle injury. Joe Mazzulla said he had a “cautionary X-ray,” and Jayson Tatum added that he “seems to be doing fine,” but the ailment left more history on the table.

“We were trying to get him to break the record,” said Tatum.

Marcus Smart’s 11 made threes on January 18, 2020 is the most in a game by a Celtic. Hauser was one shy. But that wasn’t the only number in range for him.

“I was hoping he was gonna go for 15,” said Al Horford. “Even break the Celtics record, but also go for the league record. He just had such [a] good rhythm. So, it was pretty cool to see.”

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Klay Thompson holds the record for most threes made in a single game. He drained 14 on October 29, 2018, and he only played 27 minutes. Hauser was within striking distance before he turned his ankle on a member of the Washington Wizards bench.

With Washington’s 30th-ranked defense and a group of eager teammates feeding him, 15 threes was a reachable mark. And the Celtics knew it.

“Us shooters, we know those records,” Horford said. “And then, the Celtics one I knew last year because Derrick White came out hot and hit like seven or eight and ended up like with nine threes or something like that. So, we were very aware of it and pulling for Sam.”

Though his night was cut short, Hauser finished the game with a career-high 30 points. The Celtics dismantled the Wizards, and Hauser meticulously picked his spots using his elite off-ball movement and floor spacing.

Most importantly, Hauser’s monster evening wasn’t forced. It wasn’t a product of pre-planned absurdities against a subpar team. The Celtics played their game, Hauser played his, and it all happened naturally.

The way basketball is intended to be played.

“I love how he got his shots within the flow of our execution,” Mazzulla said. “And that’s the weapon that he is. His ability to just put two on the ball, his ability to create open shots for himself and for other people. So, it was fun to watch him shoot them [and] it was fun to watch his guys look for him.”

Hauser hit his spots, and the Celtics found him. “He took all great shots, and we just did a good job of finding the guy with the hot hand,” said Tatum.

A feat accomplished fewer than 100 times in NBA history. A man who did it in fewer minutes than ever before. And a night ended prematurely by an ankle injury, preventing a new name from being entered into the NBA record books.

Celtics-Wizards was billed as a zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but Hauser’s plotline turned it into a blockbuster.