{"id":24873,"date":"2025-05-11T08:04:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T08:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/24873\/"},"modified":"2025-05-11T08:04:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-11T08:04:09","slug":"with-the-celtics-season-on-the-line-payton-pritchard-set-personal-records-and-showed-what-hes-made-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/24873\/","title":{"rendered":"With the Celtics\u2019 season on the line, Payton Pritchard set personal records (and showed what he\u2019s made of)"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK CITY \u2014 On Wednesday night, the Celtics<\/a> stunningly became the first team in NBA history to blow 20-point leads in back-to-back playoff games. One more letdown loss would have thrust them into treacherous territory, trailing the Knicks<\/a> 3-0, despite being the overwhelming favorites entering the second-round match-up. <\/p>\n

The outside noise following the Celtics\u2019 second consecutive fourth-quarter collapse grew loud, with national media and fans alike questioning the defending champions\u2019 toughness. <\/p>\n

But, Payton Pritchard<\/a> \u2014 who opts to avoid television discourse and social media \u2014 didn\u2019t mind. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t want to be in any other position as a competitor,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is the best moment you can be in.\u201d <\/p>\n

Payton Pritchard on the Celtics being down 0-2:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn’t want to be in any other position as a competitor. This is the best moment you can be in, down 2-0.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Q: @ByJayKing<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/1NSU1ITKu1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) May 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

On Saturday afternoon at TD Garden, the Celtics\u2019 Sixth Man of the Year played 34 minutes, 12 more minutes than he logged in Game 2. <\/p>\n

The result? <\/p>\n

A team-high 23 points in the Celtics\u2019 Game 3 blowout win over the Knicks. <\/p>\n

\u201cPayton was huge,\u201d said Jaylen Brown after the 115-93 victory. \u201cPayton was great.\u201d <\/p>\n

The 34 minutes marked a new playoff career-high for Pritchard, who was out of the rotation for most of the 2023 playoff run and averaged 18.7 minutes per game in 2024 en route to the championship. <\/p>\n

But even when Pritchard\u2019s opportunities have fluctuated in the past, his preparation and work ethic never wavered. <\/p>\n

\u201cSome guys just have a certain mentality that they carry themselves with,\u201d Brown said last spring. \u201cPayton is someone you don\u2019t worry about. Even in the lowest of times, he\u2019s a hard worker and his mindset is phenomenal, relentless \u2014 a never-give-up, warrior-like mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pritchard, who had 21 points across the first two games of the series, delivered his biggest punch in Game 3, hitting 8 of 16 field goals in his highest-scoring playoff game of all time. <\/p>\n

And, he did it when it mattered most: with the Celtics on the brink of a deficit that no team in NBA history has ever overcome. <\/p>\n

Why the extended opportunities for the Sixth Man of the Year? <\/p>\n

Pritchard\u2019s increased production in Game 3 was the result of increased opportunity. <\/p>\n

In Game 1, Pritchard played 24 (of 53) game minutes. He followed that up with a 22-minute outing in Game 2. <\/p>\n

But, with Sam Hauser missing a second straight game with a right ankle sprain suffered in Game 1 \u2014 and the Celtics\u2019 offense struggling through two games \u2014 Joe Mazzulla opted to utilize Pritchard for a more extended run on Monday. <\/p>\n

Afterwards, Mazzulla maintained that the rotation change was due to Jrue Holiday getting into foul trouble. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur sub-patterns are always flexible,\u201d Mazzulla said. \u201dTonight, Jrue had three fouls, and Payton was good. At times, you go with what makes the most sense \u2014 just the flexibility of what we were able to do. But he played really well on both ends of the floor for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked Joe Mazzulla about the extended Payton Pritchard minutes, and he said it was the result of Jrue Holiday picking up three fouls:<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he played really well both ends of the floor for us.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/l5I3Ih9lRB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) May 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

To be fair, Holiday was never really in significant foul trouble. He racked up one foul in the first quarter, one in the second, and one in the third \u2014 the same foul pattern that Jayson Tatum accrued. <\/p>\n

But, from the moment Pritchard checked into the game midway through the first quarter, he was impactful offensively, scoring 7 points in his first stint, including a quintessential shot to beat the end-of-first-quarter buzzer over Mitchelll Robinson. <\/p>\n

He ultimately made 5 three-pointers on 10 attempts \u2014 both game-highs. <\/p>\n

Among his baskets, he hit threes off of nice feed from Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, drove to the basket for a tough reverse layup on Deuce McBride, and pulled up for three over Mitchell Robinson. <\/p>\n

Payton Pritchard hasn\u2019t shied away from threes despite the noise <\/p>\n

Pritchard is well aware that many have lamented the Celtics\u2019 proclivity toward launching from the outside \u2014 a discourse that\u2019s gotten louder of late, but has persisted throughout the Mazzulla era. <\/p>\n

Despite the discussions, Pritchard and the rest of the Celtics have kept shooting. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe watched areas where we could clean up a little bit, but it was really just being more confident and letting it fly,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cDon\u2019t second-guess a good shot. You come off a ball screen, and it\u2019s there, it\u2019s like \u2014 who cares what the outside world is saying? \u2018We shoot too many threes,\u2019 everybody is all saying that, but if you believe in your shot and you\u2019re able to hit it, then take it confidently. That\u2019s really just the biggest thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pritchard has been far and away the Celtics\u2019 best three-point shooter this postseason, shooting 45.2% from beyond the arc. Holiday, who\u2019s shot 36.8% from three, is a distant second, while no other Celtic has shot better than 36% from three through 8 games. <\/p>\n

\u201dAs long as we\u2019re getting good looks, the percentages will play out the right way,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cI know we struggled with shooting the last two games, but we all believe in our shooting abilities.\u201d <\/p>\n

For Pritchard, the postseason isn\u2019t much different than the opportunities he gets in the regular season. He\u2019s not worried about his scoring \u2014 he\u2019s worried about impacting winning, something he\u2019s stressed all season long. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just got to maintain my aggressiveness any chance I get,\u201d he said. \u201cAttack the paint, but always be hunting the three-ball, obviously. I thought I did a good job of getting in the paint, making a play. But for me, it\u2019s just about energy. Coming in, I got to get a rebound, get an assist, get a stop, hit a big shot \u2014 got to be ready for everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only four players in the league who have made as many threes (19) as Pritchard has in these playoffs have shot better than him: Aaron Nesmith, Gary Trent Jr., Naz Reid, and Buddy Hield. <\/p>\n

Pritchard and the Celtics responded in a big way in Game 3<\/p>\n

Since Wednesday night, the Celtics have had to live in the aftermath of two straight collapses. <\/p>\n

But, Mazzulla said the past few days haven\u2019t been particularly difficult. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you plan on doing this for a long time, it\u2019ll be a lot worse than these 72 hours,\u201d Mazzulla said. \u201cThat\u2019s the perspective you have to have.\u201d <\/p>\n

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown still haven\u2019t played their best basketball this series; Brown is averaging 20.7 points on 36.1% shooting, while Tatum is averaging 19.3 points on 32.3% shooting \u2014 both substantially below their season and career marks. <\/p>\n

So, in the wake of the star duo\u2019s struggles, Pritchard has emerged as a release valve on offense. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey [New York] got some big guards, wings that like to load up on the ball,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThe level of physicality is higher. So, you got to be able to make those passes, and be able to make those shots and make those plays, and Payton did a great job of that tonight. <\/p>\n

Across the three second-round games, Pritchard has scored 45 points, just 1 point fewer than the entire Knicks\u2019 bench. On Sunday, he scored more points (23) than the Knicks\u2019 bench (21). <\/p>\n

The Celtics still trail the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals series against the Knicks, and still need to win 3 of their next 4 games to advance. <\/p>\n

But, they\u2019re not shying away from the challenge. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the fun part,\u201d Mazzulla said. \u201cYou don\u2019t get into the journey for it to be easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, it\u2019s on to Game 4,\u201d Pritchard said. \u201cWe got to have the same mindset, get it to 2-2, and bring it back home.\u201d <\/p>\n