Today in Boston Celtics history, Tommy Heinsohn put up 45 points in the Celtics’ 127-122 victory over the (then) Syracuse Nationals (now, the Philadelphia 76ers) on the road on Christmas Day 1961. It is still, to this day, the record for points scored on a contest played on Christmas by a Celtic player (point guards Kyrie Irving and Bob Cousy are the holders of the next two highest scores on that day with 40 and 35 points, respectively). The yuletide offensive outburst was also the most points scored by the iconic power forward in any game of his storied career.
The Holy Cross alumnus went on to win his fifth title with the team later that season, but he played a game for the ages that holiday tilt first. Heinsohn’s full stat line was 45 points scored on 19-of-36 shooting from the floor in an unrecorded amount of playing time while hitting 7 of his 9 free throw attempts.
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Unfortunately for the Celtics history buffs among us, the Union City, New Jersey native’s other stats for the night have been lost to the sands of time, evidently unrecorded as was the custom for many counting stats in that era.
Historic milestones
Today is the date of the Celtics’ first game on Christmas Day in 1948, an 80-77 loss to the (then) Philadelphia (now, Golden State) Warriors, as well as their first win on Christmas Day six seasons later. That came in 1954 against the (then) Milwaukee (now, Atlanta) Bucks, led by 35 points from Hall of Fame Boston point guard Bob Cousy.
It’s also the anniversary of Larry Bird getting 28 points, 20 boards and 8 assists against the New York Knicks in 1980, and the date the season started (in a loss to the Knicks) in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season.
The picture (undated) shows American basketball player Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics during a basketball session. (Photo by – / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
That 35-point outing by Bob Cousy mentioned above? It actually came in the Celtics very first win on Christmas Day. The game was in 1954, and it was a road game vs. the (then) Milwaukee (now, Atlanta) Hawks. Boston was a Christmas Day staple from 1948 to 1960, but things went poorly for the Celtics over most of that stretch, losing 4-8 and their first six Dec. 25 games in a row.
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Interestingly, none of them were home games, and Boston didn’t play one until a 118-108 win over the New York Knicks because Red Auerbach didn’t want team staff to have to work on the holiday.
Dec 10, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo (9) drives against Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) during the second half of the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Hornets win 96-87. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Champion Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has done well on Christmas, leading Boston to an 86-77 win over the Orlando Magic in 2009 in which the Kentucky alum put up 17 points, as many boards, and 8 assists. Rondo also helped Boston beat the Brooklyn Nets 97-76 with a 19-point, 6-board, 5 assist outing.
A win over the Knicks on Christmas Day in 1967 was historically offensive. As in, it was the game in which Boston put up the most points ever as a team in that 134-124 victory, with Sam Jones leading the team with 27 points. The worst loss played on the holiday came in 2002, when the then New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets in a 117-81 blowout.
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Debuts
It is also the date of former Celtic center Jarvis Varnado‘s debut with Boston in 2012. Out of Mississippi State, Varnado was drafted by the Miami Heat in the 2010 NBA draft, but didn’t make the team. Instead, he played overseas and in the D League (as the G League was called then) until the Celtics signed him on Dec. 24 of the same year as his debut.
Mar 5, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Celtics logo is seen on the court before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Varnado played just seconds over a single minute of playing time in the 93-76 win over the Brooklyn Nets, recording a lone steal in that short span. He played only four more games with Boston, averaging 1.2 points per game.
Rest in Peace
Finally, it is the day that we lost Hall of Fame Celtics legend KC Jones, who left us on this day in 2020.
Willie Naulls and KC Jones (C/O Bryna Jones)
A legend as a player and a coach, Jones won two NCAA titles with the USF Dons (1955, 1956), Olympic gold in 1956, eight NBA titles as a player with Boston (1959-1966) and two more as a head coach (1984, 1986) with the Celtics along with countless other accolades. Rest in peace, KC. You are missed.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Tommy Heinsohn scores 45 on Christmas Day