Unusual Warriors strategy allows for a historic Celtics half.

Unusual Warriors strategy allows for a historic Celtics half.

Boston — On Sunday afternoon against the Warriors, the Celtics offense hit unprecedented heights, and it all began with an odd choice made by the guests. On the opening play of the game, Jaylen Brown made a wide-open 3-pointer and no Warriors defender tried to block him at the arc.

Draymond Green chose to leave the Celtics All-Star wide open on the perimeter for the majority of the first quarter, continuing the trend. Before heading to the bench with three minutes remaining in the first, Brown took advantage of the many open looks and scored 19 points in the first seven minutes of the game, including going 5-of-8 from 3-point range.

Due to the absence of two starters, Andrew Wiggins (personal) and Brandon Podzienski (right knee pain), Golden State was down in manpower for the game. Golden State’s decision to let Brown get away with open looks, though, obviously backfired because Brown quickly established his rhythm and scored a game-high 25 points in the first half of just 18 minutes of play.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Warriors attempted to contest some of Brown’s perimeter shooters once he got going and ultimately changed their defensive strategy. But by then, Boston’s offense was already clicking, as the club dominated the first 18 minutes of the half with a 32-3 run midway through and a 61-17 run over the last eighteen minutes to secure an.

After all was said and done, Boston had the biggest advantage in club history at the half, leading by 44 points. It was also the third-highest scoring half in Boston Celtics history—the highest since a team record 85 points against the Nuggets in 1982—and the worst offensive and defensive half of the season for a worn-out Warriors team.