Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Hits two triples in win
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Pritchard posted six points (2-6 FG, 2-6 3Pt) and two rebounds with zero turnovers over 20 minutes in Sunday's 113-103 home win over the Hawks.
Sunday marked Jrue Holiday's (ankle) second consecutive missed game. However, Pritchard once again was not able to seize the opportunity to earn extra minutes at point guard. Coach Joe Mazzulla decided to shift Derrick White to the point and started Dalano Banton at shooting guard. Pritchard continues to struggle with his three-point shot. He is now shooting 32.2 percent this season from behind the arc.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Goes off in loss
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Pritchard notched 21 points (8-14 FG, 5-8 3Pt), six rebounds, three assists and two steals across 33 minutes during Monday's 121-118 overtime loss to Charlotte.
Pritchard dropped a season-high 21 points Monday, taking advantage of Derrick White's (personal) absence. While this was a great performance, managers should take note that prior to Monday, Pritchard had scored in double digits only twice this season. Viewing this as an outlier, he is not worth adding outside of very deep formats.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Shooting woes continue
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Pritchard eked out zero points (0-4 FG, 0-4 3Pt) and two assists over 19 minutes in Saturday's 124-114 win in Brooklyn.
On a night with fellow guard Derrick White (personal) out, Pritchard had an opportunity to see big minutes. However, Pritchard's shooting woes continued despite Brooklyn's poor defense. The reserve guard is now shooting 29.6 percent from the field over Boston's first five games. On Saturday, he generated a minus-10 point differential. Expect Pritchard to eventually break out of his slump, but his minutes will stay minimal until he does so. He'll attempt to turn things around Monday night in Minnesota.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Just misses double-double
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Pritchard racked up 15 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds and nine assists over 26 minutes during Wednesday's 155-104 win over the Pacers.
The game was effectively over at halftime, and Boston's key bench players wound up seeing extra run as the team rested starters in the fourth quarter. Pritchard took advantage, nearly recording his second career double-double while scoring in double digits for the first time in 2023-24. The fourth-year guard won't see consistent usage in a deep Celtics backcourt, but as he showed at the end of last season, Pritchard can post strong fantasy numbers when he gets the opportunity.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Struggles from field
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Pritchard amassed zero points (0-8 FG, 0-6 3Pt), seven rebounds, six assists and one steal in 25 minutes during Monday's 126-107 victory over the Wizards.
After playing an average of 12.0 minutes in his previous two games, Pritchard saw extended run Monday due to the lopsided score. While he did a solid job rebounding and facilitating, Pritchard going 0-for-8 from the field was disappointing considering how hot he was in the preseason.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Heads to second unit
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Pritchard will come off the bench for Tuesday's preseason game against New York, John Karalis of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.
Pritchard returns to his designated role off the bench. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White start in the backcourt alongside Boston's full cast of key contributors.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Another strong performance
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Pritchard notched 17 points (7-15 FG, 3-9 3Pt), a rebound, three assists and a steal across 24 minutes off the bench in Wednesday's 112-101 preseason win over the 76ers.
Pritchard has been one of the best players in the preseason and is making a solid case to earn a more prominent role off the bench by the time the regular season begins. Through three preseason contests, the guard, who recently signed a four-year extension with Boston worth $30 million, has averaged 21.3 points per game.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Returns to bench
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Pritchard isn't in the starting five for Wednesday's preseason game versus the 76ers, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.
With Derrick White and Jrue Holiday back in action, Pritchard will return to a bench role. Pritchard is expected to serve as Boston's backup point guard this season.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Strong showing versus Knicks
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Pritchard recorded 21 points (7-15 FG, 4-11 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five assists, three rebounds and three steals across 29 minutes in Monday's 114-107 preseason loss to the Knicks.
Pritchard recently signed a four-year, $30 million extension before the preseason opener, and he has backed that up with 20 or more points in each of his first two exhibition contests. While he's not expected to become a regular starter overnight, Pritchard should see a bigger role off the bench compared to previous seasons, presumably as Jrue Holiday's or Derrick White's backup. Of note, Pritchard averaged a career-low 13.4 minutes per game in 2022-23. Expect that number to increase this season.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Moves into starting lineup
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Pritchard will start Monday's game against the Knicks, Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston reports.
Fresh off a 26-point performance in the preseason opener Sunday, Pritchard will now get a shot in the starting lineup, as Boston is resting its usual starters for the second night of a back-to-back set. Pritchard will be joined by Sam Hauser, Oshae Brissett, Dalano Banton and Luke Kornet.
Pritchard signed a four-year, $30 million extension with Boston on Sunday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Pritchard has been a rotational contributor for Boston across three seasons in the league, bottoming out at 13.4 minutes per game last year, but he's due for an expanded role in 2023-24. The 25-year-old has rained in 40.0 percent of 3.5three-point attempts in his career, and he profiles as the third guard behind Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. Boston's confidence signing him to a long-term deal bodes well for his expected usage moving forward.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: With second unit for Game 1
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Pritchard will come off the bench for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Saturday versus Atlanta, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.
Pritchard drew the starting nod in the Celtics' regular-season finale and logged a 30-point triple-double in 46 minutes. However, he is expected to retreat to his usual role as a depth piece in the backcourt and will likely struggle to crack Boston's playoff rotation.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Historic triple-double as starter
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Pritchard closed Sunday's 120-114 victory over Atlanta with 30 points (10-21 FG, 9-16 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 14 rebounds and 11 assists across 46 minutes.
Pritchard got a starting nod Sunday due to Boston resting numerous regular starters in the regular-season finale, finishing the win with a 30-point triple-double while leading all players in scoring, rebounds, assists and threes made. Pritchard posted a career-high point total in his first-ever triple-double, becoming the third player in franchise history to score 30 points with at least 13 rebounds and 11 assists, joining John Havlicek and Larry Bird. His role should decrease in the postseason since several key contributors should be back in action.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Will start regular-season finale
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Pritchard will start Sunday against the Hawks, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports.
The Celtics are resting numerous regulars after locking up the No. 2 seed, so Pritchard draws the start at shooting guard and will be joined by Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Mike Muscala and Blake Griffin. Across his previous two starts this season, Pritchard has averaged 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 29.5 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Scores 22 off bench
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Pritchard posted 22 points (9-14 FG, 4-8 3Pt), four rebounds and five assists across 24 minutes during Friday's 121-102 win over the Raptors.
With Marcus Smart sitting out Friday (neck), Pritchard saw solid minutes in his return after missing the last four games and 13 of the last 14 with a heel injury. Any concerns of looking rusty quickly went away as he led all reserves with 22 points, hitting four shots from deep, and added some nice assist and rebound numbers. The third-year guard is seeing incremental improvements in his season averages. Most noteworthy might be his playing time, as he's seen 19.2 minutes per game, five minutes better than last year.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Set to play Friday
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Pritchard (heel) is available for Friday's game versus the Raptors, Jay King of The Athletic reports.
Pritchard has been upgraded from questionable to available Friday despite some left heel soreness. While he has barely seen any playing time the past two months, Marcus Smart's (neck) and Malcolm Brogdon's (back) absences should open up room in the rotation for Pritchard.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Takes part in shootaround
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Pritchard (heel) was on the floor for morning shootaround Friday, Bobby Manning of the Boston Sports Journal reports.
Pritchard was listed as questionable for Friday's contest but is seemingly on track to join in on the action if shootaround is any indication. Neither Marcus Smart (neck) nor Malcolm Brogdon (back) was spotted, which could line Pritchard up for more minutes than usual if he gets the green light.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Downgraded to out
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Pritchard (heel) won't play in Wednesday's game versus the Raptors, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.
Pritchard will miss his second straight game Tuesday after being downgraded from questionable to out with left heel pain. His next chance to suit up is Friday's rematch with Toronto.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Questionable Wednesday
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Pritchard (heel) is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Raptors.
Pritchard was unavailable Tuesday against Philadelphia due to left heel pain, and it's unclear whether he'll be available for the second half of the back-to-back set. If he sits out again Wednesday, Derrick White should continue to see increased run.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Late addition to injury report
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Pritchard is questionable for Tuesday's game against the 76ers due to left heel pain, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.
Despite not showing up on the injury report, Pritchard hasn't appeared in back-to-back games since Feb. 14 and he's seen action only one time since March 6, so his potential absence Tuesday shouldn't impact Boston's rotation.
