BOSTON — The Boston Celtics defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 144-118 at TD Garden, clinching the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division title. The Celtics tied a franchise and NBA record with 29 three-pointers in the victory, matching the league's single-game mark shared by the Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks.

Boston had previously set the record with 29 three-pointers against the New York Knicks on Oct. 22, 2024. Eight Celtics players made at least two three-pointers, with Sam Hauser leading the way with 24 points on eight threes. The team led by as many as 41 points.

When Hugo Gonzalez tied the record with 1:20 remaining, the TD Garden crowd rose and chanted "One more three!" The Celtics had three chances to break it in the final minute. Luka Garza passed on a three-point attempt and drove in for a dunk, and Baylor Scheierman missed a try from the wing that hit the back rim. Derik Queen made two free throws with 27 seconds left, and coach Joe Mazzulla instructed the team to hold the ball, resulting in a shot-clock violation with one second remaining.

Jaylen Brown returned after missing a game due to left Achilles tendinitis and scored 12 first-quarter points to help build a 22-point lead. Brown finished with 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting in 29 minutes and did not play in the fourth quarter. Jayson Tatum, who has not played back-to-back games since returning from Achilles tendon surgery, was given the night off.

Payton Pritchard recorded 21 points, 10 assists, and five three-pointers. Neemias Queta made his first career three-pointer and recorded 10 rebounds, with Hauser describing Queta's make as "Buttery."

"It's easy to be aware of it when you hear the crowd and everything. Maybe they've got to be quiet and we can break it one day," Pritchard said.

"You set back and have an appreciation for the work that we've put in, and the growth that we've made this year to get to this point, and the honor of reaching a top seed when many people didn't believe in that," he said. "You take that in and now take a couple of days and get back to work. We've got something else to prove now."

The Celtics finished 55-26 despite losing Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford in the offseason and playing without Tatum for all but 16 games. The team has won at least 50 games in each of Mazzulla's first four seasons. Boston will open the playoffs on April 18 against the winner of a play-in game between the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers, extending the franchise's streak to 12 consecutive postseason appearances, the longest active run in the NBA.