
The Boston Celtics achieved one of the NBA’s greatest offensive displays in franchise history, shooting 66.7% from the field in a dominant victory over Brooklyn. All eyes now turn to whether star player Jayson Tatum will make his comeback from injury in Sunday’s primetime matchup against Philadelphia.

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics have been scorching hot since the All-Star break concluded, and they’ve now etched their names into the record books with a historic offensive explosion.
Boston delivered one of the most dominant shooting performances in NBA history during their commanding 148-111 victory against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. The team connected on an impressive 66.7% of their shots (52 out of 78 attempts), marking their second-best field goal percentage ever recorded. Only their legendary 67.9% shooting night against Golden State on November 21, 1984 surpassed Friday’s display.
The Celtics’ three-point shooting was equally spectacular, as they drained 64.7% from beyond the arc. This remarkable accuracy resulted in an 80.8% effective field goal percentage — the highest mark in league history. The effective field goal percentage accounts for the additional value of three-point baskets compared to two-pointers.
All-Star guard Jaylen Brown spearheaded the offensive onslaught with 28 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. Recent trade acquisition Nikola Vucevic matched Brown’s scoring output with 28 points while grabbing 11 rebounds for his third double-double since joining Boston.
“I thought we just did a good job reading the game,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought we made the right reads throughout most of the entire game. I thought tonight Vooch really looked comfortable in his offensive reads and his offensive screening. He unlocked a lot of stuff for us.”
The team’s depth was on full display as all 13 available players found the scoring column. Boston also demonstrated exceptional ball security, turning the ball over just three times in the second half.
“We just try to read the game and take what’s there,” Brown said.
With five victories in six contests since the All-Star break, Boston now focuses on Sunday evening’s home clash with the Philadelphia 76ers — a game that could mark Jayson Tatum’s highly anticipated return to action.
The matchup was originally scheduled for earlier in the day but NBC moved it to an 8 p.m. primetime slot, fueling speculation about Tatum’s potential comeback.
Tatum has been sidelined for 41 weeks after suffering a ruptured right Achilles tendon last May during the final moments of Boston’s Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.
The league mandates that Boston release their initial injury report by 5:00 p.m. EST Saturday before Sunday’s home game against Philadelphia.
Following a practice session with the Celtics’ G League affiliate two weeks ago, Tatum remained uncertain about his return timeline.
“It doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or I’m not, it’s just following the plan. So it’s just another step,” Tatum said. “I don’t know percentage. I just know I feel a little bit better everyday. I just try to focus on that.”
In that same interview, Tatum expressed concern about potentially disrupting the chemistry of a team currently sitting second in the Eastern Conference with a 39-20 record.
“I’m just hyper aware of what’s going on. I think it would just stem from that. Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and bring to the team. But I’m also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well,” Tatum said.