WASHINGTON – The Celtics are one of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams in NBA history. Despite her tendency to shoot relentlessly, coach Joe Mazzulla insists they don't chase 3-pointers. They simply take the best shot they can in any given possession, and it often comes from outside the arc.

But in the fourth quarter of Boston's season-opening win over the Knicks on Tuesday, the team appeared to deviate from its usual approach in pursuit of history. Al Horfords It was the Celtics' 29th 3-pointer of the game with 8:54 left in the fourth quarter, setting the NBA single-game record.

The Celtics led by 33 points at that point, and most of the backups were able to carry on from there. But when the players became aware of the record, they started shooting to break it and the fans cheered them on. The problem was that they just couldn't make one.

They took 13 3-pointers in the final eight minutes and missed all of them. On their final possession, with fans chanting “One more three,” Mazzulla signaled the team to commit a shot clock violation, as is almost always the case in the final minute when the outcome of a game is being decided . Before taking on the Wizards on Thursday, Mazzulla was asked what he thought of the approach in the eight minutes leading up to that moment.

“I think it played out the way it was supposed to,” he said. “We made the shots we were supposed to make and we never shot the ball at the end of the game, whether there was a record or not. That's why I thought we play the way we play all the time. We take the recordings that were there. At the end of the game we had a two-on-one, we didn’t take it, the horn sounds, the game is over.”

Several Celtics admitted after the game that they had actually started hitting 3-pointers to get the record. However, Mazzulla said he did not believe that was the case.

“I didn't realize there was a record until the last minute and they yelled 'One more three,'” he said. “I had no idea. So we had 13 tries, didn't get it done and the game is over.”

Hauser had to take a break due to back pain

Forward Sam Hauser missed Thursday's 122-102 win at the Wizards because of lower back pain.

“Something just flared up,” Hauser said. “I kept working on it throughout the summer and in the preseason. I’m trying to do the best I can and just move on from there.”

Hauser said he wasn't sure what was causing the pain and he didn't know how long he would be sidelined. Asked whether he would undergo further testing, he said: “I guess that's still to be decided.”

Hauser has proven to be quite durable for the Celtics, appearing in 159 of 164 regular season games over the last two years. Hauser averaged 22 minutes per game last season, and Mazzulla said the Celtics would be nimble and make up for his absence.

“We have the flexibility and the depth to go different ways,” he said. “So it doesn’t necessarily have to be a grand piano. It could be a big one, could be a guard. It just depends on what matchups are happening in the second unit and what sub-patterns there are, and that will change from game to game.

“We changed substitution patterns in the first quarter during the game (against the Knicks) and adapted well. I trust that whoever we go to will be ready to play just based on the work they put in and the things they do. It has to be everyone on the committee depending on what the game needs at that point.”

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.