It's Pay(ton) Day for the Boston Celtics
The Celtics reserve saved the day when most of his teammates had sub-par performances. Pritchard had 19 points - more than his last five games combined - in leading Boston to victory.
It took a while, but Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka’s tough love approach to this Boston Celtics roster has kicked in.
We’ve seen it play out with the starters as well as the team’s sixth man, Grant Williams.
The latest Celtic to see the light?
That would be Payton Pritchard who had his best game of the season in helping spark Boston to a 113-104 win over the Detroit Pistons.
It was a season-high on several fronts for Pritchard who scored 19 points while playing 27 minutes - both season-highs for the second-year guard.
“Payton is starting to find his stride,” Boston’s Jaylen Brown told reporters. “Learning where his shots are, where he can be aggressive. We need him to be a playmaker, to hit shots. I’m looking forward to him continuing to get better.”
He was good against Detroit, no doubt.
And while the Celtics would love for Pritchard to deliver similar performances going forward, the confidence he played with more than anything else, was huge.
Even when he made mistakes or blew a lay-up, Pritchard didn’t let that setback slow him down.
And the end result was Pritchard delivering his best game of the season, the kind of game that could springboard him to future success.
Udoka has shortened the team’s rotation, with Pritchard seemingly at the back end as the team’s eighth man. He is getting the minutes that were once allocated to Dennis Schroder who along with Enes Freedom, was traded to the Houston Rockets at the Feb. 10 trade deadline.
But Pritchard’s 19 points against the Pistons were more than he had scored in his last five games combined (18).
This season has been one filled with peaks and valleys for Pritchard, who came off a strong showing in summer league only to find himself buried on the Celtics bench behind a slew of more experienced guards.
At the trade deadline, the Celtics traded Schroder to Houston and Josh Richardson to San Antonio, moves that created a void that he has been charged with trying to fill.
“For me, this whole year has been about trying not to get down,” Pritchard told reporters after the game. . It’s frustrating, but…I look at it as a way I can get better; keep working hard and your moment will eventually come.”
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s road win over Detroit.
STARS
Jayson Tatum: By no means was this one of Tatum’s better games this season. But he delivered all the big plays when necessary, finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds for his 18th double-double this season, in addition to dishing out six assists.
Cade Cunningham: The No. 1 overall pick continues to play some of his best basketball of the season. His defensive shortcomings aside, Cunningham had 25 points on 11-for-19 shooting to go with seven rebounds and three assists.
STUDS
Payton Pritchard: His best game of the season, Boston doesn’t win today if he doesn’t step up the way that he did. Pritchard played with a level of confidence we have not seen much of this season, tallying 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting to go with six assists.
Jaylen Brown: The 3-point shot was not Brown’s friend (he was just 1-for-6), but his overall impact was undeniable. He led all scorers with 27 points which included him making all six of his free throw attempts.
DUDS
Jerami Grant: A non-factor in every sense of the word, Jerami Grant scored just 11 points in 31 minutes while missing 12 of his 15 shots from the field.