Nic Claxton had been on the brink of achieving something special throughout the season, and on Friday, he finally did.

Confident that the milestone was just around the corner, Claxton notched his first triple-double during a remarkable 113-105 victory against the Celtics at TD Garden.

In this standout performance, Claxton tallied 18 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds, marking the Nets’ first significant triumph over a formidable opponent this season, while also keeping them in contention in the NBA Cup.

Adding to the triumph, Claxton secured the game ball in front of his family, including his father, Charles, a former Celtics player.

“It felt amazing, so good. It was a good team win and everybody contributed. First triple-double in Boston,” Claxton shared after the game.

“[My parents] supported me since day zero so having them in attendance was great. We just gotta keep stacking,” he added. “We’ve been playing a lot better these past few games, so we gotta keep trending in the right direction.”

For the pro-tank fans, in their eyes, this win will do more bad than good in a race toward to the bottom, and a shot at the No. 1 draft pick in May.

It put the Nets (3-12) back to fifth in the lottery odds — a half-game behind the fourth-place Kings (3-13).

However, this was a confidence boost for the Nets.

They showed growth, and to some, that is more valuable than winning the top pick.

And for a young team with few veterans, it was thrilling for coach Jordi Fernández to witness the team’s long-contracted 26-year-old making progress.

The Nets have been looking to Claxton to become an elite defender since he signed a four-year, $100 million contract in the summer of 2024, which showed his commitment to being a foundational piece of the team’s rebuild.

There has especially been an emphasis on Claxton becoming a stronger rebounder.

This season, he pulling down boards at a slightly higher clip per game (7.5) than last year (7.4), but still has a ways to go to get back to his career-high average (9.9) from the 2023-24 season. 

In each of the last two games — both against Boston — the 6-foot-11 center has tallied 11 boards.

That’s where Fernández wants him, and the playmaking growth has been an added bonus.

“Yeah, all the credit to him. He’s worked on, you know, his dribble handoffs, his low levels, his drives to the rim, being aggressive, and you put it together,” Fernández said after the game. “Now, his rebounding is really taking the next step. That what I was on him. We needed him to rebound better. And look at the games that he does right, nine defensive rebounds. Then we won on the fast break, because he was really good on the boards and then you go on and on, like his screening, like you say, dribble hand-off assist. So the growth is great. I’m proud of him. Very happy for him. And without him, we don’t get this [win over Boston].”

After 12 assists on Friday night — six of which came in the fourth quarter — the former 2019 second-round pick is averaging 4.4 assists per game this season, which is a career-high.

His previous high mark was 2.2 assists per game from last season.

“When I’m playing like that — getting all my teammates involved, getting myself involved, rebounding — it just makes the whole team better,” Claxton said. “The more I can do that, the more it will put us in a situation to win games.”

In his seven years with the Nets, Claxton has seen it all and has endured more losing than winning.

For the short-term, he will savor this performance and win.

“I hope it’s the first of many,” he said.