Sam Hauser Flirts With History as Boston Celtics Crush Hawks 132-106

There was nothing subtle about Sam Hauser’s night in Atlanta (20-24).

The Celtics (26-15) didn’t probe. They didn’t feel things out. They detonated - and Hauser was right at the center of it.

Boston’s 132-106 win over the Hawks on Saturday was effectively decided by halftime, but the defining storyline wasn’t just the margin. It was how the Celtics got there, and how Hauser turned a heater into something bordering on historic.

By the end of the first half, Hauser had already torched Atlanta’s coverage, burying 7 of his first 8 three-point attempts. By the final horn, he had finished with 30 points, 10 made threes, and a place in the NBA record books - even without the franchise mark he briefly chased.

The Celtics poured in 52 points in the second quarter alone, ballooning a competitive opening frame into a runaway. Their 82 first-half points were the fourth-most in franchise history, and the Hawks never came close to mounting a response. Jaylen Brown’s 41-point night set the tone early, but it was Hauser’s shooting that bent the game beyond repair.

This wasn’t a fluke burst. It was an extension of a month-long run where Hauser’s confidence, volume, and gravity has reshaped Boston’s offense.

And when the fourth quarter arrived, with the game long decided, the night took on a different energy. Hauser was suddenly within striking distance of Marcus Smart’s franchise record for made threes in a game.

“At that point it was just like, let’s get them up, let’s see what happens,” said Hauser postgame. “And then I got dead tired.

The last couple - they were on-line, [but] they were just way short. So it is what it is. I’m glad Joe left me in to try. Appreciate my teammates for just kind of giving me the ball and being okay with that and let me kind of just throw them up there. But, maybe next time.”

Those final six attempts - all misses - ended the chase. But the record that fell instead was arguably just as telling. Hauser attempted 21 shots on the night, every single one from beyond the arc. No player in NBA history had ever taken that many shots in a game without attempting a two-pointer.

It wasn’t selfish. It wasn’t forced. It was contextual - a reflection of how hot he was, how comfortable Boston felt, and how fully his teammates bought in.

Joe Mazzulla made that clear afterward.

“It’s a credit to him,” Mazzulla said during his postgame press conference. “I think he should, in a situation like that, go after it. It’s a credit to his teammates. Just kind of said, I’ll give it a feel.

“Obviously you don’t want to disrespect the game or leave him out there too long. So I thought we gave it a shot but didn’t come up with it but kind of moved on. Obviously he deserves to go after something like that and I thought his teammates did a great job of finding him.”

Hauser was the only starter left on the floor at the start of the fourth quarter, a deliberate choice that reflected both trust and the moment. Boston wanted to see where it went.

So did the crowd.

So did the bench.

And earlier, when the game was still competitive, everything felt effortless.

“Everything you put up, it just feels like it’s going to go in or it’s going to feel really good,” said Hauser. “And that’s just kind of how it was tonight. And got a couple early open looks, which kind of set the table for that. And I just tried to keep it going from there.”

That feeling has followed Hauser throughout January.

Since re-entering the starting lineup, he’s shooting 44% from three, hitting multiple threes in every game this month, and forcing defenses to stretch farther and react quicker. The result is more space for Boston’s stars, and fewer margin-for-error nights for opponents.

Atlanta felt that immediately.

Even without Payton Pritchard, even with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined for the Hawks, the game never tilted back once Hauser and Boston found their rhythm.

The Celtics now turn toward a more demanding test Monday night in Detroit (30-10), closing out their road trip against the top team in the Eastern Conference. The shots won’t always fall like this.

But Saturday night wasn’t about sustainability. It was about what happens when confidence meets opportunity, and how dangerous Hauser can be when both show up at once.

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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.