Celtics rookie hits ‘basket of the year’ in Brooklyn last-gasp thriller

The Celtics had managed to let slip a game they seemingly had in the bag in Brooklyn – up 101–91 with three minutes to play – by repeatedly giving up offensive rebounds. The last of those came on a Nic Claxton dunk with just under two seconds left, sending the game to overtime after the visitors also failed to get anything out of their final possession. As punishment, they were all but done in the extra period: 117–112 with eight seconds remaining. But then things happened. Payton Pritchard hit a three (117–115) and Nolan Traore made only one of his two free throws (118–115) with 2.8 seconds left. That extra life, which they barely believed in themselves, allowed the Celtics to force a second overtime and eventually win, 130–126, in a game that works as a metaphor for their season: win, no matter what happens and however it has to be done.

In a year that was supposed to be about resetting expectations and keeping a low profile – and with the team still casting an anxious eye toward a possible return for Jayson Tatum – they sit second in the Eastern Conference at 28–16, just days before a trade deadline that many insiders say they will approach with an “aggressive mindset.” If they can land a quality interior presence and get Tatum back in time for the playoffs…

That is what lies ahead. But what already happened, what unfolded in Brooklyn, crystallized in those final moments of the first overtime – a rescue operation that gave Hugo González his defining highlight, one of those moments that will be underlined in the margins of a season to remember. The Spanish wing wasn’t even on the floor for the final play, but head coach Joe Mazzulla saw something in the defensive scheme drawn up by Jordi Fernández – or in the movements of Amari Williams, the team’s other rookie – and hurriedly called for a substitution.

Hugo, cold off the bench, drifted to the left corner and, freed by the Nets’ defensive confusion, took a pass from Baylor Scheierman – a second-year player he has become close with – and buried the three that forced a second overtime. From there, the Celtics rode the momentum and, with a decisive Williams after having played just five seconds before that second extra period, secured a win that had looked improbable moments earlier.

On a night without Derrick White, they committed sins that usually guarantee defeat. Beyond a disastrous second quarter, when they fell behind by 11, they lost the free-throw battle by 19 points and the rebounding battle by 17. But the Celtics win. They find ways. Mazzulla – an obvious Coach of the Year candidate – always has a team ready to compete, one that needs no reminders about toughness or effort. It comes as standard. And over the course of an NBA regular season, that mindset is worth a healthy stash of extra wins, especially on nights when things only half-work.

Jaylen Brown needed 27 shots to score 27 points, but finished with 12 assists and 10 rebounds – his regular-season high. Mazzulla challenged Pritchard at halftime, and the guard responded with 25 of his 32 points after the break and in overtime. And Hugo delivered 10 flawless points (4-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 from three), seven rebounds and a +4 in 19 minutes, fitting perfectly into a team philosophy that suits him like a glove: tough, unbreakable, winning.

Afterward, he admitted Mazzulla had been right to pull him early and give him a stern talking-to for a few defensive lapses on screens. The coach demands and teaches; the rookie absorbs and grows. “He’s always ready,” Mazzulla said later of Hugo, who once again made a handful of crucial plays in a win – but this time also added his poster moment, his capital-H highlight.

The Nets under Jordi Fernández, now 12–31 after losing 12 of their last 14, squandered a golden chance to repair their image after the catastrophic 120–66 loss to the Knicks, their crosstown rivals, in their previous game. They showed they are still competitive, within their limits, and that the prior outing had been an amorphous exception. But they lost after nearly saving the night before the first overtime – and then letting a victory slip away in the extra period, when it seemed safely gloved.

Michael Porter Jr., whose future with the team remains uncertain ahead of the February 5 trade deadline, scored 30 points. Rookie Nolan Traore finished with 21. He is 19 years old – the same age as Hugo – and was the 19th pick in the draft (the Spaniard went 28th).

Russian guard Egor Demin, the No. 8 pick and also 19, fared worse, limited to six points once the Celtics cleaned up their coverage of his three-point shooting. Demin and Hugo came up together in Real Madrid’s youth system, and as a curious footnote, both faced Traore in the 2024 EuroLeague Junior final, which Madrid won by the narrowest of margins, 85–84, in Berlin – thanks, fittingly, to a Hugo three to force overtime. He was named MVP. Demin scored 26 that day, Hugo 23 and Traore 18.

A little more than a year and a half later, all three shared an NBA court. Blink, and the future is already the present – such is life.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

Brooklyn Nets

Stats

21 Noah Clowney
17 Michael Porter Jr.
33 Nicolas Claxton
8 Egor Demin
4 Drake Powell
14 Terance Mann
13 Tyrese Martin
20 Day'Ron Sharpe
24 Cam Thomas
88 Nolan Traoré
1 Ziaire Williams
22 Jalen Wilson
2 Danny Wolf

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
21 Noah Clowney	42	15	9	3	6	1	3	0	1	2/2	2/4	3/10	0	4	0
17 Michael Porter Jr.	41	30	8	1	7	4	2	0	1	8/9	5/7	4/12	0	3	0
33 Nicolas Claxton	38	18	9	4	5	4	0	0	2	2/2	8/13	0/0	0	4	0
8 Egor Demin	21	6	4	1	3	2	2	1	0	0/0	0/1	2/3	0	3	0
4 Drake Powell	19	6	1	0	1	1	0	2	0	1/1	1/1	1/2	0	2	0
14 Terance Mann	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
13 Tyrese Martin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
20 Day'Ron Sharpe	19	5	8	4	4	2	3	0	0	3/4	1/3	0/0	0	3	0
24 Cam Thomas	19	7	2	1	1	4	3	0	0	3/4	2/6	0/2	0	1	0
88 Nolan Traoré	36	21	3	0	3	2	2	2	1	5/6	5/9	2/4	0	3	0
1 Ziaire Williams	32	14	8	1	7	0	2	0	0	5/6	3/4	1/11	0	2	0
22 Jalen Wilson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
2 Danny Wolf	17	4	6	1	5	2	0	0	1	0/0	2/3	0/0	0	1	0

Boston Celtics

Stats

7 Jaylen Brown
30 Sam Hauser
88 Neemias Queta
11 Payton Pritchard
55 Baylor Scheierman
99 Chris Boucher
52 Luka Garza
28 Hugo González
13 Ron Harper Jr.
4 Anfernee Simons
26 Xavier Tillman
27 Jordan Walsh
9 Derrick White
77 Amari Williams

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
7 Jaylen Brown	45	27	10	1	9	12	2	1	0	5/10	5/17	4/10	0	2	0
30 Sam Hauser	39	19	4	1	3	3	0	1	0	0/0	2/2	5/10	0	3	0
88 Neemias Queta	28	6	5	3	2	3	1	1	1	2/2	2/3	0/0	0	6	0
11 Payton Pritchard	40	32	4	1	3	4	1	0	0	0/0	7/13	6/11	0	3	0
55 Baylor Scheierman	33	6	7	1	6	4	0	2	0	0/0	0/3	2/5	0	0	0
99 Chris Boucher	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
52 Luka Garza	20	12	1	1	0	3	1	0	1	1/1	4/7	1/2	0	6	0
28 Hugo González	18	10	7	1	6	1	0	1	1	0/0	2/2	2/2	0	2	0
13 Ron Harper Jr.	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0/0	0/0	0/2	0	1	0
4 Anfernee Simons	36	10	3	0	3	2	3	2	0	1/2	3/9	1/7	0	3	0
26 Xavier Tillman	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
27 Jordan Walsh	14	5	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	1/2	0	2	0
9 Derrick White	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
77 Amari Williams	5	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1/1	1/1	0/0	0	0	0