Payton Pritchard Joins Celtics Greats With Historic Performance Vs. Hawks

Payton Pritchard ended the year with the Celtics on a high note Sunday during Boston’s regular-season finale.

When the C’s elected to sit their key contributors such as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, among others, Pritchard was given a window of opportunity — one that he’s battled to grasp throughout the entirety of the campaign. Pritchard both started and played a career-best 46 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks during Boston’s 120-114 victory at TD Garden.

Pritchard fulfilled the role of team leader for head coach Joe Mazzulla, scoring a career-high 30 points with 14 rebounds and 11 assists to notch his first-ever triple-double. And it was an all-time performance that placed the 25-year-old in some all-time history alongside a few Celtics legends.

The Oregon alum became just the third player in Celtics history to score 30 points, grab 13 rebounds and dish out 11 assists, joining Basketball Hall of Famers John Havlicek and Larry Bird, according to play-by-play announcer Sean Grande.

In reaching a career-high in points, rebounds and assists, Pritchard also knocked down nine 3-pointers (also a career-high) which made him the only other to do so while recording a triple-double since James Harden, according to Celtics.com’s Taylor Snow.

“Special crew to be a part of,” Pritchard said postgame, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “Definitely honored, but just look forward to these last two games as an opportunity for me to go out and play and show what I’m capable of and try to get a win. That’s all that’s on my mind.”

Pritchard finished his third season with the Celtics averaging 5.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists while a career-low 5.1 field goal attempts through 48 games played and rummaging for minutes off the bench. However, Pritchard showed the very flashes displayed during his rookie year in Boston.

With Mazzulla having Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon for the NBA playoffs, it’s unclear how the C’s will utilize Pritchard off the bench as the team embarks on its redemption run toward the NBA Finals.