Payton Pritchard's unreal career-high night has Celtics fans going bonkers
Today at 11:18 PM
On the first night of a back-to-back, the Boston Celtics decided to rest a few of their key guys, including Jayson Tatum. Joining Tatum on the inactive list were Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday as the Celtics continue to preserve their most important players’ health heading into the stretch run of the season. What makes them so confident to rest their key players is that they have more than enough quality players to make up for this loss, and on Wednesday night, it was Payton Pritchard who took charge in the Celtics’ 128-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Pritchard has been brilliant all season long; he’s the favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award for a reason. Against the Blazers, Pritchard went out and had his best game of the season, going bonkers from deep (10-16 from three, 14-20 overall) en route to a career-high 43-point night. And as if that wasn’t good enough, Pritchard even added 10 rebounds and five assists — emerging as the Celtics’ best player on a night where they had this Tatum-sized void.
The 27-year-old guard has truly come a long way; the Celtics guard became just the third player in NBA history to record 40 points with 10+ threes while coming off the bench, joining JR Smith and Bogdan Bogdanovic in that exclusive club, as pointed out by Underdog on X (formerly Twitter).
Celtics fans exploded in celebration over another epic performance from Pritchard that has endeared himself even further to their very loyal fanbase.
“I feel like that Pritchard game might've secured 6MOY for him,” X user @fndology wrote.
“I don't think there are many contracts in the league that are more "bang for your buck" like getting Payton Pritchard (front runner for 6MOY) for $7M/yr,” @PPritchardGOAT added.
“HOLY S**T PRITCHARD HAD 43!?!?” @PencilCasePat exclaimed.
Derrick White, Payton Pritchard lead Celtics to victory with epic shooting night
Payton Pritchard may garner the most headlines for his 43-5-10 performance in the Celtics victory, but he wasn’t alone in torching the Blazers on Wednesday night. Derrick White was also on point from beyond the arc, nearly matching Pritchard band for band with nine three-pointers of his own.
Pritchard and White made history by being the duo to combine for the most three-pointers in a single game, and the Celtics continue to thrive with their emphasis on the three-ball. Can this Celtics duo go for an encore on Thursday night against a struggling Philadelphia 76ers team?
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