Ex-Celtic Robert Williams makes NBA history with a wild statistic that originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
If you’re a Celtics fan looking for a pick-me-up after Boston’s stunning NBA Cup loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, we have three words for you: Robert Williams highlights.
The former Celtics big man missed the Portland Trail Blazers’ first nine games while recovering from offseason knee surgery, but returned to the court last Friday and recorded 13 points on 4 of 5 shooting in his 2024 season debut /25.
On Tuesday night, however, Williams delivered one of the most impressive stats of his NBA career to date.
The seventh-year big man recorded 19 points on 9 of 10 shooting while adding nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks in 25 minutes off the bench to help Portland upset the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Cup game.
According to Basketball Reference’s Stathead, Williams is only the second player in NBA history to record at least 15 points, three blocks and three steals in a game while shooting at least 90 percent from the floor. The other? Hall of Famer James Worthy in 1983.
Robert Williams tonight:
19 PTS
9 REB (team high)
3 STL (team high)
3 BLK (team high)
9-10 FG (team high)The first bench player with a 15/3s/3b game at 90 FG% since James Worthy in 1983. https://t.co/EkEo16iasN
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 13, 2024
Williams was at his best Tuesday night, throwing down thunderous dunks off lob passes while protecting the rim with multiple blocks. (Watch full game highlights here.)
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— Portland Trailblazers (@trailblazers) November 13, 2024
Celtics fans remember this version of “Time Lord” well; The 2018 first-round C pick (27th overall) emerged as a dynamic rim-runner in Boston and played a key role in the team’s run to the 2022 NBA Finals. He averaged a near double-double (10 points and 9.6 rebounds per game) during the 2021-2022 season while earning Second Team All-Defense honors.
Unfortunately, injuries have been Williams’ Achilles heel. That 2021-22 season was the only time he played more than 60 games in a season, and last season he played just six games for the Blazers before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Williams may not last long for Portland; he has a highly marketable contract (four years, $48 million) and could draw interest from NBA prospects before February’s trade deadline if he can stay healthy. Wherever Williams ends up, we hope injury luck is on his side so we can experience more highlights like the one he delivered on Tuesday night.
