A few months ago, the lore of Payton Pritchard was set in stone. All year long, Pritchard was nailing end-of-quarter heaves. Time and time again, when the ball in his hands, he was money. But in the NBA Finals, the entire world learned about it. He sunk two half-court heaves against the Dallas Mavericks.
Now, whenever a quarter is winding down, expect Pritchard to have the ball in his hands. He loves those shots. And on Monday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, he proved that fact once again. As the third quarter came to a close, Pritchard drove the length of the court, got to the wing, stepped back, and sunk a triple.
TD Garden went nuts.
Payton Pritchard lives for buzzer-beaters, and Doc Rivers learned the hard way
After the game, Pritchard spoke about how much he loves those types of shots.
“I just like, live for those moments,” Pritchard said. “The clock winding down and, I think it was like six seconds left, so just to get to a spot and raise. I kind of blackout in those moments and just let it fly. Obviously, it works out a lot of the time for me.”
When Pritchard got the ball in his hands, Bucks coach Doc Rivers put his hands on his knees. He knew what was about to happen. And when the shot went down, he sunk his head.
Getting the chance to completely deflate another team is another reason Pritchard takes pride in the end-of-quarter shots.
“I feel like that's why everybody got to take them. No matter the distance,” Pritchard said with a smile when asked about Rivers’ reaction. “It's just a gut punch. When you do hit them, the momentum, like, you felt the garden, like you said. The momentum swings are crazy.”
PEEP DOC RIVERS AFTER PRITCHARD HIT THE 3 😭😭🤣 pic.twitter.com/mM81H492cG
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) October 29, 2024
Pritchard’s shot at the end of the third quarter was far from his only impact on this game, though.
The Celtics guard finished the game with 28 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals while shooting 10-of-14 from the floor and 8-of-12 from behind the three-point line.
Having a guy like Pritchard coming off the bench is a huge luxury for the Celtics, who already have one of the best starting lineups in recent NBA memory.
Pritchard should be firmly in the mix for Sixth Man of the Year this season. He’s the fourth-leading scorer on the best team in the NBA, and each and every night, he’s a threat to drain a three from anywhere.
Rivers learned that the hard way on Monday.