Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena was a case of deja vu.
For the second time this month, the Boston Celtics emerged from their battle north of the border with a win that leapfrogged them past the Toronto Raptors into third in the East.
The visitors' 112-96 victory came despite the absence of four-time All-Star Jaylen Brown. That put even more pressure on Payton Pritchard to shake off Friday's shooting struggles.
The reigning Sixth Man of the Year, now a first-unit fixture, fared 2/8 from the field. He finished with nine points in Boston's 129-116 win over the Miami Heat. It was just the fifth time he didn't reach double-digits this season, a campaign where he has yet to miss a game.
Pritchard, who refused to wilt when forced to endure being on the outside looking in at the Celtics' rotation, certainly wasn't going to flinch in the face of his team needing more from him after a frustrating performance from the field.
Payton Pritchard leads Celtics past Raptors
The former Oregon Duck spent much of the first half getting his teammates going. He dished out six assists in the opening 24 minutes. However, when he got his opportunities, he buried 2/4 attempts from beyond the arc. That made it clear that he had recaptured his rhythm after what unfolded on Friday.
"I felt like I had it going early in the game," said Pritchard after a victory that improves his team's record to 17-11, via Celtics Postgame Live on NBC Sports Boston. "I had some easy assists, so you loosen the defense up a little bit…So, getting off the ball, hit the shots when I can."
After the intermission, the sixth-year guard took over the contest.
Pritchard erupted for 19 points on 8/10 shooting in the third quarter. It started with him stepping into a clean look and drilling a three off a Neemias Queta screen.
After that, he showcased his ability to play off two feet and his craftiness around the rim. The six-foot-one guard got the best of the six-foot-nine Sandro Mamukelashvili, working both sides of the rim and using the cylinder as a shield to help him produce two points against a much taller opponent. Those were two of his game-high 18 points in the paint.
From turnaround fadeaways to step-back threes, his entire scoring arsenal was on display that period. The Raptors could not find a way to slow him down.
Having himself a night 👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/UqMN9BUakN
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 21, 2025
"The defense kind of expands; open up the floor a little bit, and you've gotta hit those shots now," said Pritchard about what changed after his first-half facilitating helped loosen up the defense.
The Oregon native finished with a game-high 33 points. He did so with sterling efficiency. He knocked down 54.2 percent of his 24 shots. That includes 4/9 threes [44.4 percent].
His 10 assists were also the most on either team. Pritchard had 23 assist points. Between that and his scoring, he generated 56 points.
"Just trying to play with this relentless feel. I feel like I haven't had that," Pritchard shared while discussing his mentality entering a matchup without Brown in the lineup. "Defensively, offensively, playing like my hair's on fire."
It was a bounce-back performance that sounded predictable to Joe Mazzulla after the win.
"You always trust that the next game's gonna be even better, just cause of his mindset," voiced Boston's bench boss, who has been there to witness him break through, fighting his way into the Celtics' rotation and continuing to ascend ever since.