There’s no subtle way of saying this except that the Celtics crushed the Clippers on Monday night. They opened the second quarter by converting on 10 of their first 13 shots from deep, a stretch that helped them improve a seven-point lead to a 19-point advantage within three minutes. The second quarter was such an avalanche that the C’s outscored the Clippers 51-29 to take a 78-49 lead into the half.
The 51-point flurry meant the C’s nearly broke the record for most points scored in a quarter. However, they fell just four points short of the 55-point quarters registered by the Warriors and Grizzlies in recent years.
Boston was on pace for a 60-point quarter when it raced past the 40-point mark within the first seven minutes. However, a few late misses from Jrue Holiday and Payton Pritchard meant it finished 12-of-17 from three for the quarter.
Nevertheless, the 12 threes in the quarter helped it tie an NBA record.
60-point quarter incoming?
As the Celtics continue to attempt (50.6 per game) and make threes (18.9) at a record pace, it’s likely just a matter of time before they register a 60-point quarter and a game with 30 made threes. Both those records have been threatened this season — the Celtics made a record 29 threes in their opening-night win over the Knicks.
Now that Kristaps Porzingis is back in the mix, the Celtics are primed to rev up their scoring — a scary proposition for the league.
Here’s a parting stat that puts the Celtics’ bombs away strategy in context: they have attempted 910 threes already this season, which is 143 more than the second-ranked Bulls. Here’s another: the Nuggets (515) and Lakers (538) have attempted nearly half as many threes.
