Ever since Kyrie Irving’s practice pep talk, Gordon Hayward has hit a different gear.
The Boston Celtics forward played well in Boston’s 128-95 drubbing of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night at TD Garden, and the 28-year-old was outstanding in the Celtics’ 118-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, scoring 30 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out eight assist off the bench for Boston.
Hayward’s tremendous day not only was an important moment for Boston, as the Celtics appear to finally be playing like the championship contenders they are supposed to be, but it also was one of the rarest statistical performances in NBA history.
By tallying a 30/9/8 line in 30 minutes off the bench, Hayward became the first C’s non-starter to notch those numbers in franchise history. Kevin McHale was the last Celtic to score 30 or more points while tallying at least five rebounds and five assists off the bench, recording a 30/5/5 line on Nov. 21, 1990.
Hayward also became the first player to come off the bench and record at least 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists since Detlef Schrempf did so in 1993. And, the former All-Star became just the third player in NBA history to record such a line in 30 or fewer minutes on the floor, joining Russell Westbrook (2014) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2018), per Basketball-Reference.
Have a day, Gordon.
