In just 12 minutes, the Boston Celtics outscored their entire second half with a 52-point surge in the second quarter, soaring past the Atlanta Hawks and into the NBA’s record books on Saturday night.
Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser were the conductors behind a freight-train Boston offense, shooting 19 of 25 from the field and draining 11 3-point attempts, tying an NBA record set by the Oklahoma City Thunder for the most points scored in a quarter. Options were nonexistent for Atlanta from there, as the Hawks faced a 31-point halftime deficit before the Celtics closed out their slaughtering 132-106 win on Saturday night.
“I thought we played with a high level of pace,” head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston.
Brown and Hauser combined to score 30 points in the second quarter, with Hauser going a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc. Off the bench, Anfernee Simons added 11 points, becoming the third Celtic to reach double figures by the end of the frame. Boston outshot Atlanta by 10 field goal makes, committed three fewer turnovers, and saw every player finish with a positive plus-minus — while all Hawks finished in the negative heading into the second half.
Boston’s 52-point barrage in the second quarter is the most ever by a road team, falling just five points short of the all-time record of 57 set by the Phoenix Suns in 1990.
“Obviously, we made every shot, but I think it was our ability to get out and run,” Mazzulla continued. “Get stops, get out and run.”
The Hawks scored 51 points in the first half and weren’t in the same ballpark as the Celtics in terms of efficiency. Atlanta shot 35.4% to Boston’s 62.5%, and the scoreboard didn’t see another lead change after the first quarter, ballooning to a 43-point Celtics advantage by the end of the third quarter.
Mazzulla noted that, as impressive as the second-quarter avalanche was, maintaining the mindset that brought it to life is even more important. Rather than dwell on the highs of reducing Atlanta’s defense down to its smallest form, Boston is looking ahead. There’s no time to pat themselves on the back or scroll through social media to check out all the records they set. Instead, it’s about understanding that the result doesn’t change the approach. That’s the standard.
“It’s just the balance of toughness and grace,” Mazzulla told reporters. “It’s a long season, so just because we played well tonight, that doesn’t mean anything the next day. Or if we had lost tonight, that doesn’t mean anything the next day. You just have to keep it at that. As long as we can come in the next day, not knowing if we won or lost, we can just get better. I think the guys do a great job of — whether we lose a close game or win — coming in the next day, and you can’t tell what the past result was. Just gotta keep that up.”
Brown’s one-man 41-point clinic, as dominant as it was, took a back seat to the team’s second-quarter scoring storm. Everyone who took the floor contributed, even if it didn’t mean putting the ball in the basket. Rookie Hugo González grabbed four rebounds, Derrick White dished out seven of his 12 assists, and the team forced three steals, controlling both ends of the floor for the entire frame.
It was a peak demonstration of the core principles Mazzulla has instilled in the locker room, reinforcing Brown’s trust as an MVP candidate in Boston’s group of unproven contributors.
“That second quarter, when we are playing in sync and in alignment, we’re tough to stop,” Brown told reporters, per CLNS Media.
Meanwhile, the Hawks were out of sync the rest of the way. Atlanta mustered only 55 points in the second half, shooting a slightly better 38.9% on 54 field goal attempts. The divot Brown, Hauser, and the Celtics dug proved to be far too deep for the Hawks to escape from.
Nearly two weeks removed from the franchise’s trade of star guard Trae Young, coupled with the absence of center Kristaps Porziņģis, the Hawks entered the night in an already difficult spot — one that only worsened once both teams met at center court for the opening tip-off.
It was a dilemma Brown chalked up to more than just defensive lapses.
“Sometimes you get tired, physically, and that’s what causes you to miss,” Brown told reporters. “It’s not really the defense sometimes. Sometimes you just have a hard time trying to catch your breath. So I try to just focus on my breathing and just come out and be aggressive.”
