Celtics' Payton Pritchard's classy reason for refusing to force shots amid record chase
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BOSTON — On Wednesday night, Boston Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard earned the right to take whatever kind of shot he wanted heading into the fourth quarter of the Green Team’s 128-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The Sixth Man of the Year hopeful was up to 37 points and so on fire that a circus shot from 80-feet away still would’ve received cheers from the TD Garden faithful.
Instead, the 27-year-old took the right shots. Although he was just one 3-pointer shy of tying Boston’s record for the most triples in a single game—held by former Celtic and current Washington Wizard Marcus Smart—Pritchard didn’t launch from deep. In fact, he wasn’t aware he was on the verge of making history.
“I didn’t even know I had 10 threes at the moment,” he revealed in his postgame press conference. “But I wouldn’t have gunned for it anyways because then it just sets a new standard. So I got something to eventually go for, and hopefully break one day.”
Payton Pritchard refused to force shots to break Boston's single-game 3-point record:
"That's disrespectful to the game, disrespectful to my teammates. If I got in the flow and took a shot that was a good shot for us, and I broke it that way, then that's the right way to do it." pic.twitter.com/a1A8tFQB5a
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) March 6, 2025
Pritchard had just one 3-point attempt in the final 12 minutes of the game. He used all the attention Portland’s defense gave him to create for others, opening the fourth quarter by faking a shot from beyond the arc and driving to the rim to find center Neemias Queta for an easy floater. The fifth-year Celtic finished with a career-high 43 points and a game-high 10 rebounds despite being the smallest player on the court. He contributed five assists as well, the third-most of any player on either side.
“The biggest thing was just about getting a W,” Pritchard stated. “And they made a little push, so I wasn’t going to force a look that wasn’t there. I feel like that’s disrespectful to the game, disrespectful to my teammates. But if I got in the flow and took a shot that was a good shot for us and broke [the 3-point record] that way, then that’s the right way to break it.”
Besides Payton Pritchard, who else shined for the Celtics?
Smart’s 3-point record remains after the double-digit win, but Pritchard still managed to make history with a little help. Fellow Celtic Derrick White also posted a career-high with 41 points, resulting in the first game in franchise history where multiple C’s scored 40-plus points.
Payton Pritchard and Derrick White become the first Celtics duo in franchise history to have 40+ points EACH in the same game pic.twitter.com/ElvHUXKjhu
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 6, 2025
“The way those two played shows a lot about who they are,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said of Pritchard and White. “They do a lot of the dirty stuff when we’re fully healthy. They do a lot of things for the team, and to have a night where these two can show what they’re capable of was good for us. So, we’re lucky to have them and it was a lot of fun to watch them.”
Joe Mazzulla told @NoaDalzell that, more than anything, he's grateful for Payton Pritchard and Derrick White:
"We're lucky to have them." pic.twitter.com/j7IhPHi75l
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) March 6, 2025
The Celtics were without multiple starters on Wednesday as Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis all sat on the first night of a back-to-back set. That gave Pritchard and White plenty of room to work. Both members of the impressive duo put up at least 20 shots and 16 attempts from 3-point land, and Pritchard stayed on the court for a season-high 43 minutes.
The aforementioned absences also gave the Trail Blazers, who had previously won five of their last six games, room to fight back. With 2:35 remaining in the final frame, the Celtics’ 25-point lead was cut to just eight points. A few defensive lapses from Boston nearly made it a game down the stretch, yet White swooped in with another clutch jumper to give the C’s a 126-116 lead with 2:11 left in the quarter, effectively sealing the win.
“Unbelievable,” Pritchard replied when asked about White’s performance. “It was amazing to watch because some of the shots he was hitting were incredible.”
What a night for Payton Pritchard and Derrick White.
Pritchard:
– 43 points
– 10 3s (one short of franchise record)
– 10 rebounds (game-high)White:
– 41 points (career-high)
– 9 3s (two short of franchise record) pic.twitter.com/4APmXPomJd— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) March 6, 2025
Following the historic victory, the Celtics are 44-18 overall and in second place in the Eastern Conference. Catching the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are eight games up on the C’s and currently on a 12-game winning streak, may be impossible. However, if Boston can get the kind of production and unselfish play Pritchard and White displayed against Portland, it shouldn’t worry about retaking the top seed.
For now, all the Celtics have to concern themselves with is entering the playoffs healthy and with some momentum. They host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday evening and probably won’t have every member of their regular starting five available, perhaps giving Pritchard and White another chance to step up in a big way.
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