Jayson Tatum had been waiting for one of these nights. The Celtics — who beat their opponents at home last season by an average of 15.2 points per game — were waiting for one of those nights.

Heading into Monday night, Boston’s last six home games were decided by an average of 3.1 points. Their biggest win during that period was a four-point margin.

After their 126-123 overtime win over the Toronto Raptors just over a week ago, Jayson Tatum was asked if he would rather play in these close games than in losses. Tatum, who scored the game-winning goal that night, responded: “It’s 50-50. Hopefully some of these (outbreaks) will come our way.”

He did that on Monday night against the Clippers as the Celtics defeated Los Angeles 126-94 – a game in which the Celtics trailed by just 2:15.

On a night when the Celtics welcomed back Kristaps Porzingis, making his season debut after a five-month recovery from surgery, Boston looked like the dominant team we grew accustomed to last season. The Celtics had a balanced attack – six players in double figures – and played strong defense, keeping the Clippers under 100 points for the second time this season. They limited LA to 43.3% shooting from the field, 26.9% from deep, forced 13 turnovers and blocked 11 shots. But it was her three-point shooting that really set her apart.

The Celtics hit 22 three-pointers on the night for a rate of 43.1%. Eight different players scored three-pointers, five of whom sank two or more. It was the seventh time this season that Boston made 20 or more three-pointers, extending its winning streak to 23 consecutive games (including playoffs) with at least 20 three-pointers made since March 2023.

It was Porzingis who got the party started, knocking down Boston’s first three-pointer of the night on the game’s second possession after missing on the first. After his attempt, the Celtics missed their next eight attempts before the avalanche of shooting began.

The Celtics knocked down 15 of their next 24 attempts (62.5%). Their 16 three-pointers in the first half marked the fourth time this season that Boston made 15 more in the first half, a feat no other team has ever accomplished. The result was a season-high 78 points in the first half.

Twelve of those 16 three-pointers came in the second quarter, breaking a franchise record for three-pointers made in a quarter and tying the NBA record – set by five teams (Pacers, Warriors, Kings, Trail Blazers and the Suns). All of these teams achieved this feat in 2021 or later. Boston knocked down 70.6% of its attempts.

The 16 triples fueled a 51-point second quarter for Boston, marking the third-highest scoring quarter in franchise history, following their 54-point performance in February 1970 and their 52-point outing in February 1959.

The three-point difference was so large that if Boston had taken away all of Boston’s two-pointers and free throws, the Celtics would have trailed by just one (49-48) at halftime. On the night, the Celtics made 15 more three-pointers than the Clippers and outscored them 66-21 (+45).

That three-point barrage was all Boston needed. Boston built a lead of as many as 29 points that never fell below 15 points, even though the Celtics were outscored 27-16 in the third quarter.

Boston won its sixth straight game and improved to 13-3 by making more three-pointers than its opponents. The Celtics could make even more NBA history later this season, as they are currently on pace to break the all-time record for total three-pointers made in a single season (1,363) as well as three-pointers made per game (16.7).

They were close last season. Boston’s 1,351 made threes were the second-most in NBA history, just a hair behind the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors (1,363). The 2022-23 Celtics ranked fourth on this list (1,315).

Over the last two seasons, the Celtics attempted the third-most (2022-23) and fourth-most (2023-24) three-pointers in NBA history. This year, Boston is on pace to become the first team in league history to average 50 three-point attempts. The Houston Rockets achieved the highest value in league history in 2018-19 with an average of 45.4.