Sam Hauser chased NBA history for the Celtics during their trip to the nation’s capital Sunday night and avoided a potential injury crisis in the process, amid Boston’s fifth consecutive victory.
Boston took the floor without Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis or Derrick White available to suit up. That left Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla to insert Hauser into the starting lineup for the eighth time this season. And it didn’t take too long for the 26-year-old sharpshooter to make a significant impact and repay Mazzulla for the chance to fill the void left by three of Boston’s go-to starters.
But Hauser’s career night nearly came at the cost of teeter-tottering with a left ankle injury that could’ve resulted in a lengthy trip to Boston’s injury list — which, in hindsight, the Celtics won’t have to worry about moving forward.
“According to a league source, X-rays on Celtics forward Sam Hauser’s left ankle were negative and he avoided serious injury when he stepped on the foot of a Wizards player early in the third quarter,” The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach reported Monday.
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Hauser scored 21 points through the first two quarters against Washington, going 7-of-9 from 3-point range to pair with Jayson Tatum as the co-stars of the contest. The elite shooting performance, in fact, was so stellar that by the end of Hauser’s career-best 10-of-13 output from beyond the arc, he was just short of matching — or perhaps topping — Klay Thompson’s NBA-record 14 threes made in a single game.
With 7:43 left in the third quarter, Hauser made an early exit after suffering the injury that killed his chances at history. Hauser limped toward the Celtics locker room, which added a bittersweet taste to a crushing 130-104 victory over the Wizards to improve their NBA-best record to 53-14.
Celtics teammates rooted for Hauser’s bid at the history books as well.
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“Pretty impressive and the most impressive to me was that everything was within the flow,” Al Horford told reporters, per CLNS Media. “You know it wasn’t like he was hunting the shots or anything like that. We just played our game and guys were mindful when he was there, you get him the ball but it was just playing so it was impressive to see.”
With 15 games left before the playoffs begin, Hauser’s update serves as a sigh of relief considering the Celtics could use all the depth they’ve got before embarking on their quest for Banner 18.
Featured image via Scott Taetsch/USA TODAY Sports Images
