During last night’s 130-104 win against the Washington Wizards, the Boston Celtics were led by a surprising name. Tied with Jayson Tatum, wing Sam Hauser led the team in scoring thanks to a 30-point showout before an ankle injury forced him to miss most of the second half. This performance is a career-high for Hauser, who shot 10-for-13 from beyond the arc. After the game, it was unclear the extent of Hauser’s injury. Fortunately for the Celtics, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe is reporting that Hauser “is not expected to be sidelined for an extended period“:
According to a league source, Sam Hauser avoided serious injury when he sprained his ankle in the midst of a historic shooting performance Sunday and is not expected to be sidelined for an extended period.
For now, it remains unclear specifically how much time Hauser will miss, if any.
The third-year is having a career year this season with the Celtics. On the season, Hauser is averaging 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Plus, he is shooting 45.9% from the field and 43.2% from beyond the arc. Hauser has been a very important bench piece for the Celtics this season. Furthermore, it seems very likely he will crack the team’s playoff rotation.
Sam Hauser was SCORCHING in the Celtics’ 5th-straight win against the Wizards 🔥
30 PTS | 6 REB | 10 3PM | 23 Minutes played
Hauser becomes the first player in NBA history to tally 10 3PM in under 23 minutes played 🤯 pic.twitter.com/d6vLSWRqKl
— NBA (@NBA) March 18, 2024
Key Boston Celtics Role Player Injury Update
Sam Hauser Nearly Made History
In addition to Hauser scoring a career-high 30 points against the Wizards, the 26-year-old was on pace to break multiple three-point records. Specifically, Hauser was just two three-point field goals away from breaking Marcus Smart‘s single-game three-point team record. Furthermore, Hauser was five three-point field goals away from Klay Thompson‘s NBA single-game three-point record. After last night’s game, Al Horford talked about the team wanting Hauser to break the three-point record:
We wanted to make sure that we just kept him involved in the offense — when you got it going like that, when you’re that hot shooting, you want to keep it going.
Al Horford said the Celtics were hoping Sam Hauser would break the three-point record:
“We wanted to make sure that we just kept him involved in the offense — when you got it going like that, when you’re that hot shooting, you want to keep it going.”
(Via @CelticsCLNS) pic.twitter.com/7x1s7QnmHo
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzellNBA) March 18, 2024
Additionally, teammate Payton Pritchard believes Hauser has the chance to break the record again in the future. In a postgame interview, Pritchard labeled Hauser one of “the top shooters in the league.”
The Last Word on Sam Hauser’s Injury
The Celtics play the Detroit Pistons at home tonight. As it stands, there is no official word about whether Hauser will suit up or not. With the 53-14 Celtics having already clinched a playoff spot, the team may rest as many key players as possible the rest of the way. And although they have not clinched the No. 1 seed in the East, they are 9.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks. Barring a historic late-season collapse, the Celtics should have that in the bag as well.
