Three Studs, Two Duds As Celtics Finish Regular Season With Win Over Hornets

The Boston Celtics ran it back with the Charlotte Hornets for the final day of the regular season Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.

Going the conservative route again, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla ran with the stay-ready crew and all of the reserves while the starting unit — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday — rested up. Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser were the only two among the team’s top eight most utilized roster members to take the floor in what proved to be a win-win situation for everyone.

Mazzulla and the coaching staff caught another glimpse of what the team’s backups could bring to the table in the next few weeks, pending the opportunity presents itself. But until then, the Celtics, with a final 61-21 campaign record, will await their first-round opponent as the rest of the league figures itself out entering the play-in tournament.

Here are three studs and two duds from Boston’s 93-86 win over Charlotte:

STUDS
Payton Pritchard
The case for this season’s NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award was officially sealed and mailed by Pritchard.

Boston’s undersized guard ended his most impressive campaign on a high note, scoring a game-high 34 points on 14-of-25 shooting from the field. Pritchard knocked down four 3-point attempts, grabbed seven rebounds and tallied seven assists to hold the fort down.

Sam Hauser
The Celtics got everything they needed out of Hauser to take one final trip to the win column in the regular season. Hauser scored 15 points with two rebounds and one assist, as the 27-year-old connected on four 3-pointers — tied with Pritchard for the team lead.

It was a positive sign for Hauser, who is slated to fill an undervalued role for Boston’s championship hopes.

Jordan Walsh
It was anyone’s game in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, and Walsh cashed in on the opportunity to play Boston’s end-of-season hero.

The 21-year-old drained a huge 3-pointer with 1:32 remaining to put the Celtics ahead, 91-86 — and that wasn’t all. Walsh, moments later, collected an equally huge steal with 24.1 seconds left after the Celtics failed to add more insurance points and the Hornets tried desperately to get the ball across half court. Walsh scored 10 points with eight rebounds, two steals and a block, nearly logging a double-double off the bench.

DUDS
Torrey Craig
Boston supplied Craig with one last chance to make an impression before the playoffs.

In response, Craig squandered it. The 34-year-old, who’s taken part in five playoff runs across his eight-year career, made the start Sunday alongside Pritchard, Hauser, Luke Kornet and rookie Baylor Scheierman. But Craig was the only one to go scoreless, as he logged an 0-for-3 performance with three rebounds in 19 minutes.

Craig was the biggest post-trade deadline addition made by the Cetics, recruited for depth. Yet, based on what Craig’s shown — he averaged 1.5 points over the team’s final five games — it’s hard to envision him bringing much to the table in the coming weeks.

Boston’s old friend Charles Lee
Formerly a member of Mazzulla’s coaching staff, Lee’s first season at the helm was rough.

It was expected that Lee would endure a rollercoaster debut in Charlotte, but even a warning notice couldn’t ease the patience and mental fortitude it took to deal with the Hornets. The team lost forward Brandon Miller to a season-ending wrist injury in January. Franchise star LaMelo Ball, after getting snubbed of a much-earned All-Star spot, saw a career-best campaign go to waste, and now all that’s worth looking forward to — for now — is the potential reward Charlotte could net in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft from its brutal 19-63 finish, good enough for the second-worst record in the East.

Lee will likely keep his fingers crossed for Duke’s Cooper Flagg.