The Boston Celtics come home Wednesday for a single game against the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden after a two-game road trip, and then depart for four more road games.
The second of their two road games, played on back-to-back nights, saw Boston take its first loss since the season’s opening day, as newly acquired star Paul George stayed on the bench due to a team decision to rest him.
The Celtics announced more concerning news approximately 24 hours before the Bucks game.
Celtics guard Payton Pritchard is questionable for Wednesday’s home game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a right shoulder contusion, according to the Celtics announcement.
The bruise sits on his shooting shoulder, and with Jayson Tatum also questionable as a candidate for a night of rest, the Celtics face two open rotation questions before tipoff at TD Garden.
Tatum’s listing would mark his first night off this season after he started all seven games since returning from Achilles surgery, according to the Boston Herald. Guard Devin Carter is out with an illness and has not played this season.
Celtics Guard Payton Pritchard’s Shoulder Injury
Pritchard dove for a loose ball in the Nov. 1 game against the Orlando Magic and stayed in the contest.
He “has been grabbing at his right shoulder — his shooting shoulder — ever since,” Celtics insider Marc D’Amico wrote.
CLNS Media reporter Bobby Manning later noted on social media that Pritchard “hit his shoulder in Orlando.”
He played through it, going 3-for-11 with seven points against Orlando. The next night against the Houston Rockets, on the second night of a back-to-back, Pritchard went 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range, scoring four points on free throws. He missed all 12 of his 3-point attempts across the two games.
Pritchard enters Wednesday averaging 13.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists through seven games while shooting 40.3% from the field, 31.0% from 3-point range and 85.2% at the line. That follows back-to-back 28- and 30-point outings against the Chicago Bulls.
A contusion is a soft-tissue bruise rather than a structural injury, and his questionable status leaves room for a return Wednesday. RotoWire lists his estimated return date as Nov. 4.
No long-term concerns have surfaced, and coach Joe Mazzulla had not addressed the shoulder publicly as of Tuesday. The Celtics already managed rest for Mitchell Robinson and Paul George earlier this week.
Payton Pritchard’s Career With the Boston Celtics
Pritchard, 28, was born Jan. 28, 1998, in Tualatin, Oregon, and won four consecutive state titles at West Linn High School before playing at Oregon. He initially committed to Oklahoma, where his father Terry played football, before choosing Oregon.
He started 140 of 144 games for the Ducks and became the first Pac-12 player with 1,900 career points, 500 rebounds and 600 assists. He averaged 20.5 points as a senior in 2019-20 and took home Pac-12 Player of the Year and the Bob Cousy Award. Boston selected him 26th overall in the 2020 NBA draft.
Pritchard won the 2024 NBA championship with the Celtics, hitting a half-court buzzer-beater in Game 5 of the Finals, and claimed 2025 Sixth Man of the Year honors. He averaged 17.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds across 79 games last season, 50 as a starter. Through early 2026-27, he has averaged 10.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 433 regular-season games.
Boston signed him to a two-year, $44.2 million extension in October, including a mutual option for 2029-30.
Off the court, Pritchard married influencer Emma MacDonald in August 2024, with Blake Griffin officiating. The couple announced in July that they are expecting their first child.
Celtics Announce Payton Pritchard Injury Decision Before Bucks Game