The Boston Celtics took the floor without three starters in Sunday night’s matchup against the Washington Wizards and had zero issue making easy work of the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
Boston got to work without Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White, although it wasn’t unfamiliar territory for the Celtics. In games without two or more starters available this season, Boston’s gone 6-0 and continued that undefeated stretch, again courtesy of its depth. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called on Sam Hauser to step into the starting lineup, which haunted the Wizards and interim head coach Brian Keefe — quickly.
“We lost Hauser and (Jayson) Tatum. For sure, that was the biggest issue,” Keefe told reporters after Boston’s 130-104 road win over Washington. “Those guys hit threes and that extended the lead. We had a little trouble scoring that stretch but those guys got open looks and that’s what changed the game.”
By halftime, Tatum and Hauser had combined to score 46 points, leading the Celtics to an 81-53 advantage over the Wizards. Hauser’s seven threes set a new franchise record for most made in a half.
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The 26-year-old went a career-best 10-of-13 from three to score 30 points. However, with 7:43 left remaining in the third quarter, Hauser suffered an ankle sprain that cut his night early and withheld him from chasing Klay Thompson’s NBA record of 14 threes drained in a single game.
On the flip side, by the time Hauser’s night had ended, the damage had already been done to Washington. Boston had gotten everything it needed from Hauser and then some, and Mazzulla comfortably cruised the remainder of the way with an undermanned Celtics rotation.
Tatum was on-brand, matching Hauser’s 30 points while shooting 8-of-17 with six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Those two were enough of a dynamic duo to bury the Wizards and improve Boston’s NBA-best record to 53-14 with a fifth consecutive trip to the win column.
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“Hauser, that’s what he does, catch and shoot guy,” Keefe continued. “Try to take him off the line. He got loose a little bit on some scrambles, some offensive rebounds and a little bit in transition. So he got in a variety of ways. Tatum’s going to make tough shots. You try to make that as tough as possible. I thought he got a couple of easier looks than we probably would have liked.”
Another win in the books for the Celtics and yet another nod to Boston’s depth with 15 games left to go before the playoffs.
Featured image via Scott Taetsch/USA TODAY Sports Images
