BOSTON – Not only did Payton Pritchard set a career-high in scoring last Wednesday against Portland, but he also predicted the future.
After stepping up in Jayson Tatum’s absence with a 43-point effort, Pritchard claimed that any of Boston’s rotation players could’ve done the same, naming Sam Hauser as an example: “Tonight could have been Sam’s night where he hits 10 to 15 threes.”
Fast-forward to Monday night, Boston once again was without Tatum, and guess who stepped up to help secure a 114-108 win over the visiting Utah Jazz?
With a career-high 33 points and nine 3-point makes: Sam Hauser.
OK, so maybe Pritchard wasn’t 100 percent accurate, but one three away is pretty close. And his point remains true: any rotation player on this team can step up on any given night.
In this case, Hauser had himself one heck of a night, starting in the third quarter.
Initially, Hauser struggled, knocking down just 1-of-6 from deep before halftime. But the start of the third quarter was a new beginning for the veteran wing, as he canned 7-of-10 from long range throughout the frame, establishing a Celtics record for 3-point makes in a quarter.
“It was kind of a tale of two halves,” Hauser said after the game. “But once you see a couple go in, the rim gets a little bit wider for a shooter. You just try to keep letting it fly.”
That’s exactly the approach that Joe Mazzulla wants Hauser to take: even if he misses 10 in a row, keep shooting. Because eventually, the franchise’s all-time leader in 3-point percentage will level out.
“There’s no shot that he shoots that we think is a bad shot,” Mazzulla said. “So I think it was great that even when he was 1-for-7, the team was still looking to find him, and I thought he was great in that third quarter. But to me, I think he’s a straight shooter. He understands his work ethic, he does the same process every day, whether he does this or whether he goes 1-for-7.”
Hauser’s teammates recognize that, and try to get him the ball as often as they can when he’s heating up.
“Whenever he gets a good look it’s almost guaranteed, so you’ve gotta always try to find him,” said Derrick White. “Especially when he’s got it going, then you try to just find him as much as you can.”
Hauser’s 3-point eruption led to a 23-point quarter, the most that any Celtic has scored in a frame this season. He became just the fifth Celtic in the play-by-play era to score at least that many points in a quarter, joining teammates Tatum and Jaylen Brown, along with Isaiah Thomas and Kemba Walker.
He also became the fourth Celtic in the past week to set a career-high in scoring, joining White (41 points vs Portland), Baylor Scheierman (15 points vs. Philadelphia), and Pritchard the fortune teller.
So, who’s next, P?
Porzingis Gives Health Update
Kristaps Porzingis posted a health update on X just before halftime Monday night, providing fans with some insight regarding the illness that has kept him sidelined for the past six games.
The veteran center informed his followers that he is recovering from an unidentified viral illness and is in the process of working his way back to full strength.
Porzingis has shown signs of progress in recent days, having been present on the sideline for Thursday’s win over the 76ers, and having gone through pregame warm-ups ahead of Saturday night’s win over the Lakers.
Knowing Porzingis, it must’ve been gut-wrenching to miss such a marquee matchup against the archrival, and he surely doesn’t want to miss Wednesday night’s game against Oklahoma City. But his teammates want him to continue to put his health first and come back only when he’s ready.
“I know it’s difficult for him not to be out there playing with us and he’s doing everything he can to get back,” said Derrick White. “He knows we’ve always got his back, and we know he’s doing everything he needs to do to get back and try to figure out what’s going on. When he comes back, it’ll be great to have him.”
Whether that’s Wednesday night against OKC, we don’t know yet. But it seems like he’s at least trending in a positive direction.
