Payton Pritchard Goes Big After ‘Too Small’ Trash Talk In Celtics Win Vs. Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley drove past 7-foot-2 Luke Kornet in the second quarter and immediately hit the Celtics big man with a “too small” trash talk gesture.

Celtics guard Payton Pritchard didn’t care for the gesture and made the Bucks pay by dropping 10 points in the quarter.

“He kind of lit a fire under me. I felt like he was trying to clown one of our teammates,” Pritchard told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “Definitely took it a little personal.”

Pritchard also had three assists and four rebounds in the quarter, including one board he fought for from Brook Lopez. Obviously, a bit frustrated, Lopez shoved Pritchard and took a personal foul. The Celtics faithful rewarded Pritchard with a standing ovation.

“Payton got a heart of a lion,” Derrick White said on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “He don’t back down from anybody. He looks forward to matchups like this. He just looks forward to hoopin’ period. It doesn’t matter if it’s a blowout or a big game like this (against the Bucks).

“You love to play with a guy like that. He just loves hoopin’ and he’s an ultimate competitor. It was big time what he did for us in the first half and really the second half, too. Every time he’s in there, he just helps us win games.”

The Celtics held off the Bucks for the 122-119 victory. Pritchard scored 19 points, including five three-pointers, three assists, and six rebounds, in 31 minutes off the bench.

“Payton was balling tonight, man,” Jaylen Brown told Abby Chin, as seen on NBC Sports Boston. “In games like this where it’s two physical teams, it’s the other guys that make the difference. For Milwaukee, it was Bobby Portis. For us, it was Payton Pritchard. He’s been doing it night in and night out and he deserves some credit.”

The Celtics have won seven straight games and hold an 11-game advantage over the Bucks in the Eastern Conference. Boston will look to extend its streak to eight games when they take on the Pistons in Detroit on Friday night.