With three rotation players out, it was expected Boston Celtics reserve guard Payton Pritchard would see plenty of action against the Orlando Magic. What wasn’t totally expected was his 21-point effort in Boston’s 128-111 victory on Friday, December 15.
Centers Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luke Kornet all missed the game, forcing the Celtics to play small ball. That played right into the hands of Pritchard.
Payton Pritchard and the Bench Came Up Big for the Boston Celtics
The short-handed Celtics faced a tough task against the Magic, who had won the last four meetings between the teams. Boston entered Friday’s game with 12 straight home victories to open the season. The Celtics were the lone NBA team with a perfect mark at home.
Boston missed its first eight shots from 3-point land before getting a jolt from its bench, led by Pritchard.
The 6-foot-1 guard from Oregon was second on the team in scoring behind Jayson Tatum’s game-high 30 points. Pritchard made seven of his 10 shots from the floor, including going 6-for-7 from beyond the 3-point arc.
After the win, @tvabby catches up with Jaylen Brown and talks about the importance of the bench stepping up when the Celtics are shorthanded
“Nights like tonight, we need those guys to step up,” Jaylen Brown told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin after the game. Payton puts in the work. Sam (Hauser) puts in the work. You see what they came out here and did. We need that. We need those guys. We gotta play through those guys, and we need them to be confident. The guys just stepped up.”
“We had a lot of guys out, but next guy up mentality. Orlando’s been kicking our butt for the last couple of years or so, so we wanted to make sure we came out with the right energy. We wanted to set the tone.
The victory improved Boston to an NBA-best record of 19-5, including 13-0 at home.
Pritchard Said the Celtics Had to Capitalize On Their Speed
While the Celtics didn’t have much size in Friday’s game against the Magic, they played fast, much faster than they’re used to. Pritchard said that style of play led to some easy baskets.
“We played with a better tempo tonight,” Pritchard said after the game. “We just played up and down faster and used our speed, especially with having KP out, Al out, and Luke. We had to play fast and use our advantages there. It led to easy baskets and guys getting wide-open looks.
“Not having them led to a sense of urgency to get up and down quicker and use our speed to our advantage.”
Pritchard capitalized on the quicker style of play with his 21-point effort, including his season-high six 3-pointers.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was quick to praise Pritchard and the bench after the game.
“I mean, like I said, had those guys since Day One,” Mazzulla said, per MassLive, singling out Pritchard and Sam Hauser (11 points). “I coached them both in summer league, so I’ve always known they were going to be great rotation players, and I had full confidence in them last year, and full confidence in them this year.
“And again, I keep saying it, but what they do every day, they work out together every day. And I think the growth for them this year has been on the defensive end. They continue to get better in our system.”
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Boston Celtics Quick Tempo Suited Payton Pritchard Just Fine