The Celtics were without Jaylen Brown against the Raptors, but it didn’t matter as they came away with the 112-96 win Saturday in Toronto. The Celtics won their second straight game to improve to 17-11 on the season.
Payton Pritchard was excellent on his way to 33 points Saturday, making him Saturday’s “Name to Know” Player of the Game. The Name to Know Player of the Game is sponsored by John’s Sewer and Drain Cleaning, the Name to Know when your drains don’t flow.
Pritchard scored 19 points in the third quarter as it was one of those nights for the starting guard. He got to the paint consistently, shooting 13-for-24 from the field, as he was a threat from everywhere on the court. He also added eight rebounds and 10 assists, along with just one turnover on the night.
It had been a slow month for Pritchard amid an extended break in the schedule. He came into Saturday’s game shooting just 29.3% on 3-pointers in the month of December. But he righted some of those numbers Saturday, shooting 4-for-9 from beyond the arc as part of an efficient night.
Brown missed the second night of the back-to-back Saturday due to an illness. That allowed multiple players to step up in his absence. Hugo Gonzalez had 10 points and 10 rebounds, his first career double-double off the bench. Luka Garza also added 12 points and 10 rebounds as he played an important role.