Celtics' 29 three-pointers
The Boston Celtics drilled 29 three-pointers in a single game — tying an NBA record — and that performance clinched the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. (x.com) Hitting that many long-range shots in April changes matchup math for the playoffs because it forces opponents to defend the perimeter differently. (x.com)
Boston hit 29 three-pointers on Friday, beat New Orleans 144-118, and locked up the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference before the regular season even ended. Sam Hauser made 8 of those 29, and Boston finished 29-for-59 from long range. (nba.com) That 29 made threes tied the National Basketball Association single-game record, and Boston has now reached that number twice in two seasons. The other teams to hit 29 are the Milwaukee Bucks in December 2020 and the Memphis Grizzlies on April 6, 2026. (espn.com) The volume is the part that bends a game out of shape. Boston took 59 shots from behind the arc against New Orleans, which means nearly half of its 121 field-goal attempts came from the three-point line. (nytimes.com) A three-pointer is worth 50 percent more than a two-pointer, so a team that makes 29 of them starts the night with 87 points from one shot type alone. Boston got there without needing late-game heroics, because Jaylen Brown scored 23 points in 29 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter. (nba.com) This is not a random hot streak from a team that usually plays another way. Boston won the 2024 National Basketball Association title with a spread-out offense built around Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Payton Pritchard, and a bench full of willing shooters, and that style still defines them in April 2026. (espn.com) The playoff part starts with the bracket. By clinching the No. 2 seed on April 10, Boston guaranteed home court in the first round and avoided sliding into the crowded middle of the Eastern Conference race on the final weekend. (nba.com) The matchup problem is simple: if defenders stay close to Boston’s shooters, driving lanes open for Brown and Tatum. If defenders help in the paint, Boston swings the ball one pass further and turns a normal possession into a corner three. (nytimes.com) That is why 29 threes in April lands differently than 29 threes in November. Boston’s last regular-season game is Sunday, April 12, against Orlando, and every potential first-round opponent just got a fresh reminder that one bad rotation can turn into 15 points in five trips. (espn.com)
