Despite being shorthanded on the road Sunday night, the Boston Celtics still dominated the Charlotte Hornets in a 114-99 victory, clinching their 12th straight playoff berth in the process.
The Celtics were without Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Nikola Vucevic against a white-hot Hornets team, but it didn't matter. Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard combined for 60 points, leading Boston to its seventh win in its last eight games and its 50th win of the season.
That makes five straight seasons with at least 50 wins for the Celtics. Not only is that the longest active streak in the NBA, but it's also the longest in franchise history since Boston had nine consecutive 50-win seasons from 1979 to 1988.
In other words, the Celtics are in the middle of their most successful stretch in four decades, since the Larry Bird-Kevin McHale-Robert Parish dynasty.
Boston also just notched its 5th-straight season with 50 wins, another longest active streak in NBA 📈
It's the Celtics' longest such streak since a 9-season stretch from 1979-88. https://t.co/vZHC65YGWN
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) March 30, 2026
After the game, Joe Mazzulla and Payton Pritchard both provided explanations for Boston's consistent excellence over the past half-decade.
"A testament to the alignment (of) the organization and to the players," Mazzulla said during his postgame press conference. "It’s a minor milestone. I wouldn’t say that it’s a true definition of success, but I think it’s a definition of consistency."
Pritchard, as he has all season, credited the Celtics' winning culture.
"It’s a culture thing," Pritchard told reporters. "Every guy shows up every game ready to compete and help winning. So, it’s definitely the culture we built here."
It also helps that Boston has had two of the league's best players together in their prime in Tatum and Brown, not to mention tons of great role players and other stars around them.
Tatum missed most of this season, however, making this year's success extra special. Few expected the Celtics to win 50 games this year, but they've already reached that milestone with two weeks left in the regular season.
They'll look to keep adding to their win total on Monday in their road game against the Atlanta Hawks, whom they just beat at TD Garden on Friday.
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