Celtics miss breaking NBA 3-point record, but lock up East's No. 2 playoff seed
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics flirted with a piece of NBA history in Friday night's 144-118 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. They didn't quite get it, but did lock up something even more valuable: The No. 2 seed in the East in the upcoming playoffs .
The Celtics tied a franchise and NBA record with 29 3-pointers, equaling their total from Oct. 22, 2024 set against the New York Knicks. The Memphis Grizzlies (April 6 vs.
Cleveland) and Milwaukee Bucks (Dec. 29, 2020 at Miami) also share the record. When Hugo Gonzalez tied the mark with 1:20 remaining in the game, the TD Garden crowd began chanting, “One more three!
" and rose to their feet. “It’s easy to be aware of it when you hear the crowd and everything,” Payton Pritchard said when asked afterward if he was aware how close they were to the record. “Maybe they’ve got to be quiet and we can break it one day.
” Boston had three chances to break it in the final minute. First, Luka Garza passed up on an attempt and drove in for a dunk. After Garza blocked Jeremiah Fears' layup on the Pelican's ensuing possession, Baylor Scheierman missed a 3 from the wing off the back rim.