For the first time in quite a while, the Boston Celtics simply did not have that shooting stroke that has guided them to victory after victory in their recent run of form. In the confines of the TD Garden on Monday night, Boston saw itself rise through a plethora of obstacles against a young Thunder team trying to make a name for itself. While Marcus Smart was the leader that took over late in the fourth quarter, including finishing a bucket with his left hand over the hottest player on the floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to seal the contest, Payton Pritchard shows the world once again how valuable he is to the Celtics’ championship aspirations.
Without the presence of Malcolm Brogdon, Boston needed someone to step up, and following the season that the former Oregon product had around the perimeter, it was a seamless transition. With the game in the balance in the third quarter, the Celtics were down by 11 and needed an answer on both the offensive and defensive end.
Grant Williams did have one of his best games, collecting another technical foul against Oklahoma City, but what makes this team so unique is its ability to pick each other up when someone just does not have it rolling on that particular. With 9:17 left to play in the third quarter, Pritchard entered the game for Williams, and in the first defensive stint, he helped cause a shot-clock violation.
Pritchard was able to be in the right spot for an offensive rebound, for another wide-open 3-pointer for the Boston Celtics, and while it did not go down, it set up the momentum for his return to the game late in the quarter. Boston was down by 12 with under a minute to play until crunch time, and the player that 25 other teams passed on finished the quarter on a 5-0 himself, knocking down a deep 3-pointer to beat the shot clock to bail the Celtics out at a moment where the Thunder looked like they were about to add even more momentum with a substantial lead heading into the final quarter.
Pritchard kept his run going, hitting another three to bring the game within five, the closest it had been since the 2:39 mark in the second quarter. He found Hauser for another three just a little over a minute later, and while he departed the game for good with just over eight minutes left in the game, the Boston Celtics would be staring down the barrel of a rebuilding franchise ending Boston’s hopes of securing the best record in the NBA when the night was all said and done.
Even after the win over the Nuggets this past week, Joe Mazzulla expressed his thoughts on the importance of Pritchard, stating:
"“I’ve said it to him, I’ve said it to others. No matter what situation he’s in when his name gets called, I trust he’s gonna be ready to play, I trust he’s gonna know the game plan, I trust he’s going to have a great mindset…And so, it’s a compliment to the locker room that the guys like each other, and they keep each other engaged, and it’s a real compliment to him that regardless of the circumstances he’s going to execute.”"
The Boston Celtics leaned heavily on depth to beat the OKC Thunder
Payton Pritchard played just 14 minutes against the Thunder but contributed 10 points on top of two important steals, and three offensive rebounds which were good for the second most on the team over four quarters, behind only Al Horford. Opportunities to effect a game do not come around for Pritchard as often as they did last season, but with Malcolm Brogdon’s known injury-riddled past, there is no better replacement around the NBA than the former Oregon sharpshooter.
From his offense to his ability to be physical on the defensive end, Pritchard ignited Marcus Smart, and Derrick White to take over late, providing the platform for his teammates to succeed and capture Boston’s seventh straight win. Each player on the team knows it, and so do all the coaches on the staff, Pritchard is a game-changer. When his name is called upon, the results are a more energized team nearly every time. Pritchard is a hungry player and a winner. While he could have a much larger role on any other team around the league, Pritchard demonstrated once again what makes this ball club a contender no matter the injury report.