The Boston Celtics are locked into position as the Eastern Conference’s second seed for the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
That means their stretch run of games doesn’t mean anything in the standings, serving only as a time for Boston to tune up the band for when the real show eventually starts. That was on display Friday night, as the Celtics thumped the Toronto Raptors with precisely nothing on the line for Boston but an opportunity for some bench pieces to show off how they could possibly contribute come the postseason.
Sam Hauser took full advantage.
Hauser, who has become a reliable if not unspectacular contributor off the bench for Boston, put together the best performance of his career with extended time on the court. The 25-year-old dropped a career-high 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting.
The shooting is normal for Hauser, as he’s got one of the best three-point percentages in the NBA this season. It was the first three dunks of his NBA career that got people on their feet, however.
“I haven’t had that many dunks in a game since high school, so I’ll take it,” Hauser said postgame, per NBC Sports Boston. “I just need some space. I’ve got to load up because I’m not as quick twitch as other guys. I need a little bit of time to load up and take off. I had some open ones, so it felt good to get a couple of them tonight.”
The new wrinkle even surprised Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.
“It’s a new thing,” Mazzulla jokingly said postgame, as seen on NBC Sports Boston.
Hauser also contributed five rebounds and two assists in his seventh start of the season, bringing a desperately needed level of consistency to the Celtics’ top unit Friday, as they turned the ball over 15 times. Those miscues would go unnoticed thanks to his offensive explosion in the second half.
In all, the performance helped bring some excitement to the Boston bench as it had no reason to get up for this meaningless matchup, especially with Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon all sitting out with various injuries. Thank goodness for “Slam Hauser.”
