Fifteen seconds.
That’s how lengthy, in actual time, it took for Hugo Gonzalez to step onto the courtroom on the Barclays Heart and hit the most important shot of his younger NBA profession.
Gonzalez’s game-tying extra time 3-pointer, which compelled a second OT in Boston’s 130-126 win over the Nets on Friday night time, was the results of a last-second audible by head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Down by three with 2.5 seconds remaining, the Celtics initially despatched out a lineup of Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser and rookie middle Amari Williams. However as Scheierman ready to inbound the ball within the frontcourt, Mazzulla pivoted, calling Williams to the bench and inserting Gonzalez.
Matched up towards Michael Porter Jr. on the proper elbow, the rookie wing looped beneath the basket to the left nook whereas Brown jogged in from above the 3-point arc and settled close to the free-throw line. Brown’s entry drew the eye of Porter and Nic Claxton, which busted Brooklyn’s zone protection. Nobody adopted Gonzalez, permitting him to obtain a brief cross from Scheierman and loft a catch-and-shoot three.
Hauser raised his palms in celebration earlier than the ball reached the basket. As soon as it did, Gonzalez’s teammates mobbed him.
HE’S ONLY 19 pic.twitter.com/WxSL4GnBRK
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 24, 2026
The Celtics, who’d blown a 10-point lead within the last three minutes of regulation, pulled forward halfway by means of double OT and held on for a roller-coaster victory.
After the sport, Mazzulla defined the choice to swap out Williams — a two-way participant who was solely within the recreation as a result of major large males Neemias Queta and Luka Garza had each fouled out — for Gonzalez. The change gave the Celtics 5 succesful outdoors taking pictures choices; Gonzalez is taking pictures 38.2% from three this season.
“We had Amari on the market simply in case they matched up in a sure protection, and it regarded like they had been going with one thing totally different,” Mazzulla instructed reporters. “So we simply wished to get Hugo on the market, and Hugo made an excellent play. It’s a credit score to him. He’s at all times prepared, and he made a great play.”
He added: “The play wasn’t essentially for him. (Conditions the place you) want threes are a crapshoot. You by no means know what protection they’re in. … So it was actually only a learn the place these 4 guys needed to make a play. Hugo made an excellent play, and Baylor made an excellent cross.”
Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez known as his staff’s breakdown “a miscommunication” that led to “a wide-open shot.”
The clutch bucket was the most recent spotlight in a powerful rookie season for Boston’s youngest participant, who’s looked like a first-round draft steal since October. The 19-year-old Gonzalez totaled 10 factors on 4-of-4 taking pictures (2-of-2 from three), seven rebounds, one steal and one block in 19 minutes within the win.
