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\u2019s record books on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> on Saturday night.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI thought we played with a high level of pace,\u201d head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston.<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 while all Hawks finished in the negative heading into the second half.<\/p>\n Boston\u2019s 52-point barrage is the most ever by a road team in the second quarter, falling just five points short of the all-time record of 57 set by the Phoenix Suns in 1990.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, we made every shot, but I think it was our ability to get out and run,\u201d Mazzulla continued. \u201cGet stops, get out and run.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Hawks scored 51 points in the first half and weren\u2019t in the same ballpark as the Celtics in terms of efficiency. Atlanta shot 35.4% to Boston\u2019s 62.5%, and the scoreboard didn\u2019t see another lead change after the first quarter, ballooning to a 43-point Celtics advantage by the end of the third quarter.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s defense down to its smallest form, Boston is looking ahead. There\u2019s no time to pat themselves on the back or scroll through social media to check out all the records they set. Instead, it\u2019s about understanding that the result doesn\u2019t change the approach. That\u2019s the standard.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just the balance of toughness and grace,\u201d Mazzulla told reporters. \u201cIt\u2019s a long season, so just because we played well tonight, that doesn\u2019t mean anything the next day. Or if we had lost tonight, that doesn\u2019t 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 \u2014 whether we lose a close game or win \u2014 coming in the next day, and you can\u2019t tell what the past result was. Just gotta keep that up.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown\u2019s one-man 41-point clinic, as dominant as it was, took a back seat to the team\u2019s second-quarter scoring storm. Everyone who took the floor contributed, even if it didn\u2019t mean putting the ball in the basket. Rookie Hugo Gonz\u00e1lez 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.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n It was a peak demonstration of the core principles Mazzulla has instilled in the locker room, reinforcing Brown\u2019s trust as an MVP candidate in Boston\u2019s group of unproven contributors.<\/p>\n