Hugo Gonzalez floated to the corner with 2.5 seconds left in the first overtime. There wasn’t a Nets player near him with the ball finding him at the perfect time. Gonzalez didn’t flinch with the C’s down three points, letting the 3-pointer fly. Sam Hauser knew it was good before it went in, arms raised.
Gonzalez splashed the 3-pointer, forcing Friday’s game to double overtime in Brooklyn. The Celtics made the necessary plays from there, beating the Nets 130-126 in what was a double overtime thriller. Gonzalez got to be the hero for hitting the massive shot to get to the second extra period.
“Just trying to make a play,” Gonzalez said, via CLNS Media. “Try to catch it or try to find somebody. Then I just caught it. I felt like Baylor (Scheierman) could pass it to me right there, so I tried to open myself. I got a wide-open look.”
Gonzalez wasn’t supposed to be in the game for the play initially. C’s coach Joe Mazzulla summoned him off the bench at the last second, barking instructions at him as he ran onto the court. Mazzulla said the play wasn’t supposed to go to Gonzalez, but Scheierman made the correct read to find the rookie in the corner.
The night didn’t start great for Gonzalez in the first quarter. In his first stint, he made a mistake going under a screen, leading to a wide-open 3-pointer. So Mazzulla subbed him out after the gaffe to coach him up. Gonzalez eventually got back into the game, finishing with 10 points and seven rebounds.
“He was right,” Gonzalez said. “You can be mad if you think that you did the right thing but he subs you out. But he was right. What I did was some (expletive). It was more than reasonable that he gets me out of the game. Then, after three minutes, he gets me in again, knowing that I did some (expletive). He knows also that I’m going to try to do my best on the next play.”
The rookie continues to make plays and show off great traits. His defensive instincts are noteworthy, and they’re a big reason why he’s gotten real NBA minutes at just 19 years old. Gonzalez said he hasn’t hit a shot that big since his U-18 days, and he remembers that moment with a lot of love. Now, he gets another career highlight.
It was unclear what the Celtics could expect from the teenager coming into his first NBA season. But he’s exceeded expectations thus far, and this latest 3-pointer likely further endeared him to Boston fans.
“That was great,” Jaylen Brown said. “That was a big-time shot from the rookie. He’s been playing well all season, and to see him make that shot for us to get a big-time win, that was a big moment for us as a team and a big moment for him, too.”