Pritchard finished with 21 points (6-13 FG, 6-12 3Pt, 3-4 FT), four rebounds and six assists across 25 minutes in Friday's 107-103 preseason win over the Nuggets.
There's no question Pritchard made the most of his opportunity in this preseason opener, carrying the Celtics in scoring and showing he's ready to handle a bigger role off the bench if called upon duty. Pritchard averaged a career-high 9.6 points per game in 2023-24 while making 38.5 percent of his threes over 82 regular-season games, so he should be a reliable weapon off the bench for Boston, though his fantasy upside will be minimal if he continues to play almost exclusively off the bench.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Drains clutch 3 in Game 5 win
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Pritchard posted three points (1-1 FG, 1-1 3Pt) in under one minute of playing time during Monday's 106-88 win over Dallas in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
As he did periodically during the regular season and postseason, Pritchard once again drained a half-court end-of-quarter three just when the Celtics needed a boost. In Game 5, he heaved a half-court triple with under four seconds to help Boston take a 21-point lead into halftime. It was a lead the Celtics would never relinquish as Boston earned its 18th banner. Pritchard hit three triples over five 2024 NBA Finals games. He has three years remaining on his current contract, so expect more off-the-bench heroics moving forward.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Records eight points off bench
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Pritchard logged eight points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3Pt) and two assists over 23 minutes during Tuesday's 133-128 overtime win over the Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics are using a very tight eight-man rotation right now, but Pritchard is pretty clearly the sixth man for the foreseeable future. He's been excellent through 11 playoff appearances, averaging 7.8 points, 2.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds while hitting 47.0 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from beyond the arc.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Leads bench again in Game 2
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Pritchard notched 13 points (6-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt), four assists, two rebounds and one steal over 20 minutes in Thursday's 118-94 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Pritchard once again provided a spark off the Celtics bench in Thursday's contest, leading all Boston bench players in scoring and assists while ending as one of five Celtics in double figures in scoring in a losing effort. Pritchard has had a strong conference semifinals series through two games, reaching double figures in both games while playing at least 20 minutes off the bench in both contests. It will be key for the Celtics to get contributions from Pritchard and the rest of the bench this series, and we will likely continue to see Pritchard earn a large chunk of minutes on the second unit.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Returning to second unit
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Pritchard will come off the bench for Sunday's Game 1 against Miami.
After starting the final two regular-season contests, Pritchard will return to his typical bench role while Jrue Holiday and Derrick White anchor the backcourt. In addition to the aforementioned guards, Boston will roll with its fully healthy starting lineup Sunday, featuring Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Career night versus Charlotte
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Pritchard notched 31 points (14-22 FG, 3-8 3Pt), three rebounds, 11 assists and one steal in 31 minutes during Friday's 131-98 victory over Charlotte.
Pritchard scored a career-high 31 points Friday and was the main guy for the Celtics with the team sitting all five of their starters plus Al Horford (toe). It was the third double-double of the season for Pritchard, and the fourth-year guard out of Oregon has played a key role off the bench for Boston this season. Pritchard is averaging 16.0 points on 52.2 percent shooting, 2.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.0 steals over 27.3 minutes per game in April.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Draws start Friday
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Pritchard is starting Friday's game against the Hornets, John Karalis of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.
The Celtics are resting their entire usual group of starters Friday, so Pritchard will enter the starting lineup for the penultimate game of the regular season. Over three starts this year, he's averaged 18.0 points, 8.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 35.3 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Boosts offensively off bench in win
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Pritchard finished with 20 points (9-13 FG, 2-4 3Pt), three rebounds, eight assists and one steal in 26 minutes during Sunday's 124-107 victory over the Trail Blazers.
Pritchard led all Celtics bench players in scoring and assists while ending two dimes shy of the double-digit mark to provide an offensive lift on the Boston second unit. Pritchard has handed out at least eight assists in seven games this season, adding 20 or more points in two of those outings. He has now surpassed the 20-point mark in nine appearances, including in two straight games.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Hands out eight dimes off bench
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Pritchard produced 11 points (4-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds, eight assists and two steals over 28 minutes during Wednesday's 135-100 victory over Oklahoma City.
Pritchard seemed to have cooled off in his last three games, but he delivered another quality showing here, taking advantage of the uptick in minutes and finishing just two assists away from a double-double. Despite coming off the bench, Pritchard has now scored in double digits in seven of his last 10 appearances, a span in which he's averaged 13.0 points, 6.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds per contest.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Quality play continues
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Pritchard accumulated 15 points (7-12 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 0-2 FT), five rebounds and six assists over 28 minutes during Monday's 120-118 loss to the Hawks.
Pritchard lead Boston with the six assists Monday, doing so without committing a turnover. Additionally, it's an encouraging sign to see Pritchard score efficiently on a night when his three-point shot was cold. The 26-year-old is averaging 18.4 points and 6.6 assists while making 3.4 triples in 33.8 minutes across his last five games, and he profiles as a strong option if Jrue Holiday (shoulder) and Derrick White (hand) continue missing time in the future.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Back to bench
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Pritchard will return to a reserve role in Saturday's game versus the Bulls, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.
The Celtics are opting to go with a big frontcourt against the Bulls, so Pritchard will come off the bench. However, Jrue Holiday (shoulder), Jaylen Brown (ankle) and Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring) are all out, so the point guard could still see a healthy workload as a reserve.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Provides spark off bench vs. Bucks
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Pritchard chipped in 19 points (7-11 FG, 5-8 3Pt), six rebounds and three assists over 31 minutes in Wednesday's 122-119 win over the Bucks.
Pritchard shifted back to the bench Wednesday with Jayson Tatum returning from a one-game absence. Pritchard provided heavy minutes with Jrue Holiday (shoulder) sidelined, with the former playing particularly well in the second quarter to help Boston enter halftime with a double-digit lead. He's now scored in double digits in six of his last seven games and has hit five threes over his last two appearances. There were plenty of questions in the offseason regarding the Celtics' bench, but Pritchard has carved a decisive role for himself on the top team in the NBA.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Shifts back to bench
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Pritchard will retreat to the second unit for Wednesday's game against the Bucks, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.
Pritchard had started in each of the last two games that Jrue Holiday (shoulder) has missed; however, he'll be part of the reserves against Milwaukee despite Holiday's absence. Instead, Derrick White will handle point guard duties alongside Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. Pritchard should still see a hefty workload behind White on Wednesday.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Moves back to bench
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Pritchard isn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Jazz.
The Celtics made a last-minute lineup swap, with Sam Hauser starting over Pritchard. Pritchard is averaging 8.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18.0 minutes across his last five appearances coming off the bench.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Well-rounded numbers in start
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Pritchard finished with 11 points (5-11 FG, 1-4 3Pt), eight rebounds and eight assists across 30 minutes in Monday's 121-99 win over the Trail Blazers.
Starting for the first time all season, Pritchard predictably took on a heightened minutes count and was able to come through with a useful all-around line for fantasy managers who streamed him in. Jrue Holiday (knee) has already been cleared to play Tuesday against the Jazz after sitting out Monday to facilitate Pritchard's move into the starting five, but with Jaylen Brown (back) idle for the second leg of the back-to-back set, Pritchard could still have a path to seeing more minutes than usual even if he moves back to the bench.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Draws spot start
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Pritchard is starting Monday's game against the Trail Blazers.
Pritchard will get the nod at point guard due to Jrue Holiday (knee) being out for Monday's matchup. This marks Pritchard's first start of the 2023-24 campaign.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Shines off bench in blowout win
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Pritchard registered 19 points (8-12 FG, 3-5 3Pt), six rebounds, six assists and two steals over 27 minutes during Sunday's 140-88 win over Golden State.
As you can tell from the score, Sunday's game was a blowout early, allowing Boston to give its bench big minutes. Pritchard led all bench players in scoring while hauling in a half-dozen rebounds and assists to go along with a team-high-tying pair of steals in a well-rounded outing. Pritchard has tallied 15 or more points in eight games this season and recorded at least six boards and six dimes in three appearances.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Season-high 28 points vs. Nets
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Pritchard recorded 28 points (11-16 FG, 6-9 3Pt), four rebounds and three assists over 32 minutes during Wednesday's 136-86 victory over the Nets.
With the Celtics up by as many as 56 points, Pritchard saw 30-plus minutes of playing time for the first time since Jan. 11 against the Bucks. It was the second time this season that the fourth-year guard tallied six threes in a game. Pritchard is averaging 20.7 minutes per game this season and will have opportunities to contribute more on the offensive end on nights where Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are struggling from the field or sitting out.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Poor production continues
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Pritchard recorded three points (1-6 FG, 1-5 3Pt), three rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes during Tuesday's 118-110 win over the Nets.
Pritchard scored single digits for the seventh time in the past eight games, continuing his mediocre season. Despite averaging 20.4 minutes per contest, Pritchard is well outside the top 200 in standard formats. Outside of incidental streaming opportunities, he has no real fantasy value.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Impresses off bench once again
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Pritchard logged 19 points (7-10 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes during Saturday's 145-113 victory over the Rockets.
Pritchard has scored in double digits in three of his last four outings off the bench, though the last two contests have been blowouts where he's benefited from extra minutes. In regular circumstances, he doesn't carry a lot of upside, and he should be left on the wire outside of deep formats. Even in those circumstances, he offers little outside of his three-point potential.