And the VCU alum nearly broke Boston's record for 3-point makes in a contest with the Celtics vs. the Atlanta Hawks in the 132-106 blowout win Hauser helped make happen with 10 makes from 3-point range,

Sam Hauser is an elite 3-point shooter. Sure, he’s gone through some slumps, but teams know that once he gets going, it’s hard to shut his water off.

The Celtics may have learned something Thursday night, and it came from a place they were not necessarily expecting. Anfernee Simons delivered his best game of the season in a 119-114 win over the Miami Heat,

To begin the season, most Boston Celtics fans assumed Anfernee Simons would be used as a trade chip on or near the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline. Simons joined Boston as part of the deal that sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers.

"It reflects outside of the city even more, because that becomes the perception of Boston. Because when people start to use words like racism, most people think it's like a color dynamic, but it's a power dynamic more than anything," Brown said before going into more detail.

Nobody knew what to expect from Hugo Gonzalez as a rookie, but it's clear his future is bright midway through his first season in the league.

One of the bigger (no pun intended) surprises for the Boston Celtics this season has been the play of backup center Luka Garza this season. Signed by Boston in the 2025 offseason to help make up for the outgoing frontcourt talent in Luke Kornet,

Simons spun home a reverse layup to reach the 30-point mark for his first time with the Celtics. Then, with six minutes left, he hit his toughest shot of the night – a twisting, contested, fadeaway jumper that brought the score to 100-98.

As they get set to meet on Monday night, here are three reasons the Pistons and Celtics are atop the Eastern Conference.

"Night to night, every night could be different, but it's funny because the last few years we wanted to take away the 3s, and this year we allow 3s at least above the break," said Brown.