The 3-point line looked like the layup line Sunday afternoon for the Boston Celtics.
Then again, every shot looked like it came from the layup line while taking on the Sacramento Kings defense.
Sacramento entered the contest having surrendered an average of 116.4 points over their last seven games. For a while, it seemed like the Celtics would finish within a stone’s throw of that total during the first half alone.
Boston stormed out of the gates and dropped an insane 46 points on the Kings during the first 12 minutes of the game. Many of those points came from long distance, where the Celtics nailed seven of their 13 attempts during the first quarter. Four Celtics canned a trey during the frame, led by three from Avery Bradley.
Bradley finished the first quarter with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Jared Sullinger added in nine, while Kelly Olynyk scored eight, including two 3-pointers.
The Celtics led by as many as 16 points during the first and continued their scoring frenzy throughout the remainder of the afternoon. When all was said and done, they had a 128-119 win in their back pockets, extending their winning streak to four games.
Maybe Friday night was just the start?
Less than 48 hours after Avery Bradley canned a ridiculous game-winner in Cleveland, the shooting guard returned to TD Garden and put on a shooting clinic for the visiting Sacramento Kings.
“I have an old coaching friend that always said, ‘When they hit a last-second shot, watch out the next game,'” Brad Stevens said. “It held true with Avery today.”
Bradley scored 25 points, falling just two shy of his season high. The efficiency with which Bradley scored was impressive. He canned six of his seven 3-point attempts on the night, raising his seasonal 3-point percentage from 35.6 percent to 37.0 percent. He shot 9-of-16 on the night.
Bradley also pitched in three rebounds and three assists during his 34 minutes of play. Boston outscored Sacramento by 16 while he was on the floor.
Brad Stevens on winning nine of the last 10 games.
