Joe Mazzulla shares his reaction to the Warriors decision to leave Jaylen Brown open in the first quarter
The Boston Celtics had their way with the Golden State Warriors on Sunday afternoon, absolutely dismantling them in a 144-88 blowout win. The 52-point win marked Boston's third win over 50 points this season, something no other team in NBA history has ever accomplished.
The game stayed close through the first six minutes, holding to a tie at 21, but Boston quickly put the pedal to the floor to go on a 61-17 run to end the half, spurred by Golden State's questionable game plan letting Jaylen Brown take wide open 3-pointers with Draymond Green sagging on defense.
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Brown took full advantage of Green's space, finishing 11-19 from the field and 5-10 from deep to finish with a team-high 29 points -- 19 of which came in the first quarter -- in just 22 minutes of play.
Taking a 44-point lead into the half (82-38) the Celtics also set a franchise record for the biggest lead at halftime.
The 52-point margin also marked the franchise's third biggest margin of victory, only behind a 2022 53-point win over the Sacramento Kings and a 2018 56-point win over the Chicago Bulls.
Celtics veteran Al Horford also accomplished some personal history in Sunday afternoon's win, joining some elite company to become just the eleventh player in league history to log 14,000 points, 8,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, and 1,000 blocks throughout his career.
Horford joins LeBron James, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol, and Chris Webber as the only players to log such stats.
