“ Please, please, please stop switching on defense. » On the Bulls TV feed, Stacey King implores the home team to react defensively after yet another award-winning shot from Payton Pritchard. He had just converted in front of a late Nikola Vucevic.
On the Bulls floor, the Celtics replacement guard experienced a real offensive eruption: 29 points on 10/16 shots, including 7/11 behind the arc. Of his new record this season, we will especially remember his fiery fourth quarter: 19 points at 5/6 from afar.
For the record, he became only the 6th player in franchise history to record at least five winning baskets in the fourth quarter of a game. And the second as a replacement, with a certain Evan Fournier.
“ To do it in a room full of supporters is special. But during the long summer days, this is what I do every day “, said Pritchard after the meeting about his summer work. “ P always takes extra shots. We see the work he does and we trust him to make the right choices », notes to complete Jayson Tatum.
More complete than you think
They trusted him early in the final period, when he turned the game in Boston's favor. The Celtics trailed 102-98 with just over 10 minutes remaining; Payton Pritchard then led them on a 21-12 streak in less than five minutes, scoring all 19 of his points in this series.
Hence his +11 score when he was in play. Unplayable in attack, the back also had a significant impact on the rebound with his 7 balls captured, including 4 offensive. And this even though he was the shortest player on the field (1m85).
“ He finds different ways to influence the game. He is a complete player. I know it might sound weird, but he's one of the best three-sector attackers (editor's note: 3-point, mid-distance, penetration) that I've seen, especially for his size. He is a high level competitor “, salutes Joe Mazzulla.
This kind of performance allows him to position himself as a serious candidate for the trophy for best 6th man of the year. “ It's really cool to see him become the player he is and be effective on a championship team. With what he does, he deserves to be voted sixth man of the year », Tatum already decides.
| Payton Pritchard | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 66 | 19 | 44.0 | 41.1 | 88.9 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 7.7 |
| 2021-22 | BOS | 71 | 14 | 42.9 | 41.2 | 100.0 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 6.2 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 48 | 13 | 41.2 | 36.4 | 75.0 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 5.6 |
| 2023-24 | BOS | 82 | 22 | 46.8 | 38.5 | 82.1 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 9.6 |
| 2024-25 | BOS | 18 | 27 | 47.3 | 42.6 | 86.7 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 14.8 |
| Total | 285 | 18 | 44.7 | 39.8 | 86.3 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 8.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
