<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-drops-best-admission-boston-3-point-shooting');   ga('set', 'title', 'Payton Pritchard drops ‘best’ admission on Celtics’ 3-point shooting');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Payton-Pritchard-drops-best-admission-on-Celtics-3-point-shooting.jpg"></figure><h1>Payton Pritchard drops ‘best’ admission on Celtics’ 3-point shooting</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T16:15:29-08:00">December 21st, 4:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T16:16:37-08:00">December 21st, 4:16pm</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The storyline currently dominating the 2024-25 season doesn’t center around the reigning champion Boston Celtics and their quest to repeat. It doesn’t even feature the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers, who got off to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavaliers-news-cleveland-halfway-making-nba-history">one of the best starts in NBA history</a>. Instead, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-kirk-goldsberry-game-changing-idea-limit-teams-3-point-dependency">talking heads and league officials are discussing 3-pointers</a> and if they’ve become too common in today’s game.</p><p>The C’s are on pace to attempt the most 3-pointers in NBA history, as they average a league-leading 51.3 shots from beyond the arc per game. While some debate whether or not Boston (and a large share of other teams) is hurting the spectacle of basketball with too many triples, Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard wonders <a href="https://x.com/GwashburnGlobe/status/1870535191128908000" rel="noopener">why his team is in the conversation</a>, per Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston.</p><p>“I feel like some teams should maybe not take as many threes but those teams should not be us,” he stated on Saturday afternoon. “We’re the best at doing it. Why would we change?”</p><h2><b>Is Payton Pritchard right about the Celtics’ 3-point habits?</b></h2><p>Through 27 games, the Celtics boast a 21-6 record and the most 3-point makes (18.8) per outing. Since the Green Team attempts so many deep shots, it makes sense that they have three players who rank in the top 10 for made triples.</p><p>Pritchard, who comes off the bench, leads the Celtics in that category. The Oregon native has hit the third-most triples in the NBA so far and his present total of 105 is already higher than his 3-point output in each of his first three seasons.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Payton Pritchard has already made 105 triples this season. It’s been 27 games.</p><p>Pritchard’s 3-point totals in past seasons:</p><p>– 2020-21, 102 triples (66 games)<br>– 2021-22, 101 triples (71 games)<br>– 2022-23, 56 triples (48 games)</p><p>Truly a remarkable finish to 2024 for him. <a href="https://t.co/TsL3euzTVD">pic.twitter.com/TsL3euzTVD</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1870607311950995465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Boston has utilized Pritchard’s range and a healthy diet of 3-pointers to overwhelm opponents this season. However, this isn’t a new phenomenon. The Celtics attempted the most 3-pointers per game during the 2023-24 regular season before winning it all in June. The team they bested in the 2024 NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks, attempted the second-most 3-pointers per game that season.</p><p>Celtics head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-blame-nba-ratings-dip-but-he-asks-key-question">Joe Mazzulla has helped construct his squad’s 3-point revolution</a>, building off a successful precedent set by dynastic Golden State Warriors rosters in the late 2010s and early 2020s.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">PAYTON PRITCHARD NOTHING NEW 😈</p><p>Races up to hit the TOUGH 3 to beat the 3Q buzzer!</p><p>THRILLING Eastern Conference showdown on NBA TV. <a href="https://t.co/lP5csyXXxj">pic.twitter.com/lP5csyXXxj</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1851073486174695470?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>A lot of the NBA is following suit, including the Chicago Bulls. Although no Bulls player sits in the top 10 for 3-point makes during the 2024-25 campaign, Chicago tries 44 triples per game. In fact, the Bulls are one of the few teams who managed to keep up with the Celtics’ 3-point barrage <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-festive-explanation-outburst-refs-celtics-falls-bulls">and emerge victorious</a>.</p><p>On Thursday night, Chicago defeated Boston, 117-108, and won the 3-point battle. The Bulls cashed 19 triples on 52 attempts while the Celtics drained 14 triples on 56 attempts. Boston’s 42 misses from 3-point range tied a franchise record set 12 days earlier against the Memphis Grizzlies.</p><p>Mazzulla’s men will have an opportunity to atone for those mistakes on Saturday evening, as they face the Bulls for the second time in three days. The last time the C’s traveled to the Windy City, Pritchard torched the Bulls with a season-high 29 points amid a 138-129 road win. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-gets-100-real-about-growing-sixth-man-of-the-year-buzz">The Sixth Man of the Year candidate</a> scored in double figures in seven of his next eight games and will look to do so again on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Payton Pritchard drops ‘best’ admission on Celtics’ 3-point shooting

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-2k25-player-ratings-trae-young-brandon-miller-payton-pritchard');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA 2K25 player ratings: Trae Young, Brandon Miller, & Payton Pritchard highlight latest update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-2K25-player-ratings-Trae-Young-Brandon-Miller-Payton-Pritchard-highlight-latest-update.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA 2K25 player ratings: Trae Young, Brandon Miller, &amp; Payton Pritchard highlight latest update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-20T10:57:53-08:00">December 20th, 10:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-20T10:57:53-08:00">December 20th, 10:57am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA 2K25 has <a href="https://nba.2k.com/2k25/ratings/" rel="noopener">released</a> its mid-December player ratings update, spotlighting the performances of Trae Young, Brandon Miller, and Payton Pritchard. This follows the early December update, which featured players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, and Ja Morant. The latest changes reflect the evolving landscape of the NBA as the 2024-25 season progresses.</p><h2><b>Trae Young earns a 92 overall player rating in NBA 2K25</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-2K25-player-ratings-Trae-Young-Brandon-Miller-Payton-Pritchard-highlight-latest-update-Card-1.jpg"></figure><p>Trae Young has returned to the 90-overall club in NBA 2K25, receiving a three-point boost to reach a 92 overall player rating. This increase reflects his exceptional playmaking abilities and leadership on the court. Young currently leads the league in assists, averaging a career-high 12.2 per game.</p><p>In addition to his playmaking, Young is contributing 21.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. He recently showcased his all-around game during the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/what-hawks-nba-cup-run-proves-about-trade-strategy">NBA Cup semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks</a>, where he recorded 35 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds in a narrow loss to the eventual champions.</p><p>Young’s efforts have helped the Atlanta Hawks to a 14-14 start to the season, placing them seventh in the Eastern Conference. His improved rating underscores his impact as one of the league’s premier playmakers.</p><h2><b>Brandon Miller climbs to an 83 overall</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-2K25-player-ratings-Trae-Young-Brandon-Miller-Payton-Pritchard-highlight-latest-update-Card-3.jpg"></figure><p>Brandon Miller’s strong sophomore campaign has earned him a one-point boost, raising his overall rating in NBA 2K25 to 83. The Charlotte Hornets’ forward is averaging 21.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, establishing himself as one of the brightest young talents in the league.</p><p>Despite Miller’s standout performances, the Hornets continue to struggle, currently on a three-game losing streak. Their 7-20 record places them 13th in the Eastern Conference. While the team’s performance has been inconsistent, Miller has been a beacon of hope, demonstrating growth and potential as a key player for the franchise.</p><h2><b>Payton Pritchard rises to an 83 overall</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NBA-2K25-player-ratings-Trae-Young-Brandon-Miller-Payton-Pritchard-highlight-latest-update-Card-2.jpg"></figure><p>Payton Pritchard’s career year has earned him a one-point increase in his NBA 2K25 overall rating, bringing him to an 83. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-gets-100-real-about-growing-sixth-man-of-the-year-buzz">Boston Celtics guard has emerged as a potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate</a>, playing a critical role off the bench for the reigning NBA champions.</p><p>This season, Pritchard is averaging 16.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and one steal per game while shooting 48.2% from the field and 43.4% from beyond the arc. His recent performances have been even more impressive, with his last 10 games yielding averages of 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game on 50.4% shooting from the field and 45.5% from three-point range.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-festive-explanation-outburst-refs-celtics-falls-bulls">Celtics currently hold a 21-6 record</a>, sitting two games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers (23-4) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Despite <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-refs-postgame-rant-bulls-game">a recent loss to the Chicago Bulls</a>, Pritchard’s contributions remain a vital part of Boston’s success.</p><h2><b>Full list of NBA 2K25’s late-December player ratings update</b></h2><p>NBA 2K25’s late-December update highlights the continued excellence of established stars like Trae Young, whose elite playmaking has solidified his reputation as one of the league’s top point guards. It also captures the rise of young talents like Brandon Miller, who has quickly emerged as a cornerstone for the Charlotte Hornets, showcasing his potential despite the team’s struggles. Additionally, the update recognizes the emergence of impactful role players like Payton Pritchard, whose breakout performances off the bench have made him a crucial contributor to the Boston Celtics’ championship defense.</p><p>As the season progresses, these updates will continue to reflect the dynamic performances shaping the league, ensuring that in-game ratings stay aligned with real-life achievements. With each adjustment, NBA 2K25 provides fans with a closer connection to the evolving narratives and standout moments of the 2024-25 season.</p><h2><b>Atlanta Hawks</b></h2><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA 2K25 player ratings: Trae Young, Brandon Miller, & Payton Pritchard highlight latest update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-news-stephen-a-smith-blasts-jordan-poole-failed-payton-pritchard-taunt');   ga('set', 'title', 'Stephen A. Smith blasts Wizards’ Jordan Poole for failed Payton Pritchard taunt');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Stephen-A.-Smith-blasts-Jordan-Poole-for-failed-Payton-Pritchard-taunt.jpg"></figure><h1>Stephen A. Smith blasts Wizards’ Jordan Poole for failed Payton Pritchard taunt</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T11:05:36-08:00">December 17th, 11:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-17T18:28:13-08:00">December 17th, 6:28pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole has been under the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons, and this time, it’s courtesy of Stephen A Smith. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-viral-epic-trash-talk-fail-payton-pritchard-celtics">Poole tried to taunt Payton Pritchard,</a> and it completely backfired. On Tuesday’s edition of First Take, the ESPN host had <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869063323779744174" rel="noopener">some harsh comments</a> for Poole after his failed taunt on Pritchard. </p><p>“Gone from a champion [in the Warriors] to a [Wizards] team that since he has arrived is 18-88,” Smith said. “Seventy games under .500, but you showboated. That’s why his a*s is in the nation’s capital.”</p><p>Smith isn’t wrong about the Wizards’ abysmal record. However, it has more to do with who’s around Poole than his production itself.</p><p>Although he was a part of the 2022 Golden State Warriors championship squad, he is still a young player. Poole knocked down some tough shots and even helped the Warriors win a game. Regardless, an incident with Draymond Green the next season limited any success.</p><p>Fast-forward, and he’s officially in the Nation’s Capital for the 2023-24 campaign. It was a rocky season, to say the least.</p><p>Going from a title-contending team to a rebuilding one is tough for any player. However, Smith expected more of a leadership role from the Wizards guard. Although <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-delivers-intriguing-take-desire-washington-alpha">Poole is embracing the alpha leader role for the Wizards</a>, he thinks it should’ve happened sooner.</p><h2><b>Stephen A Smith’s criticism of Jordan Poole’s taunt reveals youth of Wizards</b></h2><p>Again, Smith’s comments are rough because of his expectations of Poole. Being on a championship team means learning and implementing a championship standard. While it’s tough to do in DC, it’s still a skill that he knows. Establishing quality habits, regardless of performance, is pivotal for a rebuilding team. After all, the Wizards extended Poole in the 2024 offseason.</p><p>They have an extremely young team with at least six players having four seasons or fewer of NBA experience. Not to mention, their head coach is in his first full season. There hasn’t been much improvement, but they have some accomplishments to hang their hats on. For example, the Wizards defeated the Denver Nuggets at home despite Nikola Jokic dropping 56 points in the loss.</p><p>However, there’s much of the season left. While the Wizards are likely not competing for a playoff spot, their pride could be on the line. A <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WAS/2025.html" rel="noopener">3-21 record isn’t satisfying</a> unless you’re aiming for the No. 1 pick. If that’s the case, then they’re doing a good job. In the meantime, they’ll look to hopefully build consistent habits but not the ones that Poole demonstrated.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Stephen A. Smith blasts Wizards’ Jordan Poole for failed Payton Pritchard taunt

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wizards-news-jordan-poole-viral-epic-trash-talk-fail-payton-pritchard-celtics');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards’ Jordan Poole goes viral for epic trash-talk fail vs. Payton Pritchard, Celtics');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jordan-Poole-goes-viral-for-epic-trash-talk-fail-vs.-Payton-Pritchard-Celtics.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Jordan Poole goes viral for epic trash-talk fail vs. Payton Pritchard, Celtics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-16T07:36:22-08:00">December 16th, 7:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-16T22:59:52-08:00">December 16th, 10:59pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Sometimes, <a href="https://x.com/GregFinberg/status/1868455603078885460" rel="noopener">trash talk can backfire</a>, as was the case for Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole when he was going against Payton Pritchard and the Boston Celtics. The Wizards’ cornerstone hit Pritchard with a gnarly crossover but took too much time celebrating to get off a shot. As a result, he swung the ball around and didn’t take advantage of the spacing on the floor.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>That move has been a synopsis of Washington’s season thus far. The 3-21 record isn’t appealing, to say the least. However, the Wizards pulled off a monumental win against the Denver Nuggets despite Nikola Jokic dropping 56 points. Still, this moment by Poole highlights the disastrous season. Although the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-historically-pathetic-start-being-addressed">Wizards are addressing their pathetic start</a> to the season, it doesn’t explain moments like these.</p><h2><b>Jordan Poole’s viral moment defines the Wizards season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Warriors-guard-Stephen-Curry-30-shoots-the-ball-over-Washington-Wizards-guard-Jordan-Poole.jpg"><figcaption>© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The 3-21 squad has had little to celebrate this season. Although they’re a very young team, losing 16 games in a row isn’t something to be optimistic about. After all, 11 of their players have four years or less of NBA experience. That isn’t a good recipe for consistent habits, at least right now. Not to mention, their <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WAS/2025.html" rel="noopener">defense is the worst in the league</a>, allowing 123 points per game.</p><p>The offense has been there, but the defense is nonexistent. In their 112-98 loss to the Celtics, they proved that they can hang with a contending team. Despite Boston having an elite offense, Washington gave them a problem. Luckily, this game was a step in the right direction. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-delivers-intriguing-take-desire-washington-alpha">Poole expressed a desire to be the Wizards’ alpha</a>. However, plays like that will turn teammates and coaches off.</p><p>For Poole, that’s part of his game. Ever since he was with the Golden State Warriors, he’s shown a flashy element to his game. Whether it’s good or bad is the big question. If he can balance the two, then Washington will be in good hands for as long as Poole is with the team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Jordan Poole goes viral for epic trash-talk fail vs. Payton Pritchard, Celtics

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-ex-nba-player-payton-pritchard-admission-attention');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ex-NBA player’s Payton Pritchard admission will catch Celtics fans’ attention');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Celtics-news-Ex-NBA-players-Payton-Pritchard-admission-will-catch-Boston-fans-attention.jpg"></figure><h1>Ex-NBA player’s Payton Pritchard admission will catch Celtics fans’ attention</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-13T09:12:44-08:00">December 13th, 9:12am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-13T09:12:44-08:00">December 13th, 9:12am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-eye-opening-take-payton-pritchard-take-over">Celtics are once again dominating</a> the regular season, and it’s always been a complete group effort from them. There’s been one player who has turned heads this season, and it’s Payton Pritchard, who is making a case for being the Sixth Man of the Year this season.</p><p>In the Celtics’ last game against the Detroit Pistons, Pritchard came off the bench and finished with a game-high 27 points while dishing out ten assists. He’s been big to the team’s success, and on the Run it Back show, Chandler Parsons <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1867599053846143181" rel="noopener">gave the guard his flowers</a>.</p><p>“He’s so valuable to this team,” Parsons said. “I’ve always loved Payton Pritchard, and then when Jrue Holiday came on the show and said he’s the hardest player to guard in 1-on-1s, I was like, ‘Oh s—, this kid is for real.’</p><p>“He’s averaging 17-3-3, he’s a bonafide starter that’s mastered his role off the bench. He takes nine threes a game, and he’s shooting 44% from the three. Payton Pritchard’s got the best true shooting percentage outside of Steph Curry…the dude’s making history. I never thought he’d be this good; he just keeps getting better and better, and he’s an absolute hooper.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Payton Pritchard's got the best true shooting percentage outside of Steph Curry…the dude's making history." </p><p>Chandler Parsons is a believer of the Celtics guard 🗣️</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/RunItBackFDTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RunItBackFDTV</a>)<a href="https://t.co/LC1Mn5kAsm">pic.twitter.com/LC1Mn5kAsm</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1867599053846143181?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Pritchard has always been a solid player for the Celtics, but this year, it looks like he’s become more aggressive, and it’s leading to good results for him and the team.</p><h2>Payton Pritchard is a 6MOY candidate for Celtics</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Payton-Pritchard.jpg"><figcaption>Eric Canha-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After his game against the Pistons, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-gets-100-real-about-growing-sixth-man-of-the-year-buzz">Pritchard spoke about the Sixth Man</a> of the Year buzz and how he feels about the attention.</p><p>“It’s not something I really think about. If I’m fortunate to win, I guess [it’s] a testament to the hard work I put in. It just means that I’ve helped my team, coming off the bench and doing my job at a high level. It’s not something, like, if I don’t win or win, it’s not make or break for me. I’m gonna continue with what I’m doing. But yeah, it’d be an honor,” Pritchard said via ClutchPoints Celtics beat reporter Daniel Donabedian.</p><p>With the Celtics already having two starting point guards with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, Pritchard has still found a way to be successful, and head coach Joe Mazzulla has found a way to have them all on the court at the same time. That allows the Celtics to play small but still be able to defend and score at a high level.</p><p>If Pritchard continues to play like this, there’s no question that he may run away with the award at the end of the season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ex-NBA player’s Payton Pritchard admission will catch Celtics fans’ attention

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-gets-100-real-about-growing-sixth-man-of-the-year-buzz');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Payton Pritchard gets 100% real about growing Sixth Man of the Year buzz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Payton-Pritchard-gets-100-real-about-growing-Sixth-Man-of-the-Year-buzz.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics’ Payton Pritchard gets 100% real about growing Sixth Man of the Year buzz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-12T20:01:08-08:00">December 12th, 8:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-12T20:01:08-08:00">December 12th, 8:01pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics are on cruise control in their title defense; even though they were without Jayson Tatum for their Thursday night matchup against the Detroit Pistons, the Celtics came out on top convincingly, taking a 123-99 victory thanks in large part to yet another <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-issues-honest-response-to-gilbert-arenas-diss">stellar outing from Payton Pritchard</a> off the bench.</p><p>Pritchard continues to be one of the best super-subs in today’s NBA; he tallied 27 points and 10 assists on Thursday night while shooting 10-20 from the field and 7-15 from beyond the arc. Without Pritchard, the Celtics would be a worse team, and he has evolved from an energy and hustle guy who can occasionally turn a game on its head with his three-point shooting to being one of the best sixth men in the entire league.</p><p>Nonetheless, while the Celtics guard acknowledged how big of an honor winning the Sixth Man of the Year award would be, he knows that this is <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1867408687067005080" rel="noopener">not something that would make or break</a> his season.</p><p>“It’s not something I really think about. If I’m fortunate to win, I guess [it’s] a testament to the hard work I put in. It just means that I’ve helped my team, coming off the bench and doing my job at a high level. It’s not something, like, if I don’t win or win, it’s not make or break for me. I’m gonna continue with what I’m doing. But yeah, it’d be an honor,” Pritchard said, via ClutchPoints Celtics beat reporter Daniel Donabedian.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Payton Pritchard hasn’t really been focused on the Sixth Man of the Year race, but he knows winning the award would be a testament to his game:</p><p>“It’s not something I really think about … But yeah, it’d be an honor.” <a href="https://t.co/5ytEJ4alTf">pic.twitter.com/5ytEJ4alTf</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1867408687067005080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>This selfless mindset is what sets Pritchard apart and what has made him quite the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-gets-real-payton-pritchard-6th-man-year-case">major piece for the Celtics</a>, a team that continues to be as good as ever as they improved to 20-5 on the year following their demolition of the Pistons.</p><h2><b>Payton Pritchard is a true game-changer for the Celtics</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Celtics-guard-Payton-Pritchard-11-reacts-after-a-shot.jpg"><figcaption>© Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As long as Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are on the team, there is no way that Payton Pritchard will be a consistent starter for the Celtics. Even then, Pritchard is a true game-changer for Boston. Once he enters the court, the Celtics play with more pace, more confidence, and Pritchard’s energy is very contagious.</p><p>Whenever the Celtics need to turn the momentum of the game, they can always rely on Pritchard to do something — make a three, defend well, or come up with huge hustle plays — to swing the game back in their favor. And he has been very consistent this year and he will be a deserving winner of the 6MOTY if he keeps up this level of production.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Payton Pritchard gets 100% real about growing Sixth Man of the Year buzz

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-issues-honest-response-to-gilbert-arenas-diss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Payton Pritchard issues honest response to Gilbert Arenas’ diss');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Payton-Pritchard-issues-honest-response-to-Gilbert-Arenas-diss.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics’ Payton Pritchard issues honest response to Gilbert Arenas’ diss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-05T20:52:15-08:00">December 5th, 8:52pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-06T15:01:39-08:00">December 6th, 3:01pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Payton Pritchard has been a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-eye-opening-take-payton-pritchard-take-over">huge part of the Boston Celtics’ success</a> thus far in the 2024-25 season. He’s averaging 16.5 points per game while coming off the bench for most of his games, emerging as one of the favorites to win the coveted Sixth Man of the Year award.</p><p>However, Pritchard hasn’t yet commanded the respect of some of his peers, most recently drawing a disrespectful take from polarizing former NBA All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas.</p><p>Arenas, in response to seeing both Pritchard and Drew Peterson on the court at the same time for the Celtics, questioned their presence on the hardwood. The retired guard implied that they’re cones on defense and that them being on the court meant that they were charity cases — obviously alluding to the unfair stereotypes placed upon white basketball players.</p><p>Pritchard has already expressed his confusion over Arenas’ statements, pushing back by asking why they couldn’t be on the floor at the same time. And the Celtics guard <a href="https://nesn.com/2024/12/celtics-guard-payton-pritchard-gives-full-response-to-ex-nba-stars-insult/" rel="noopener">further expressed his disappointment</a> that someone whom he looked up to growing up could say something like this.</p><p>“Well, first of all, I really liked Gilbert as a player, and I respected his game. I was a fan growing up. So when you see somebody that you’re a fan of growing up and then they make comments like that, it’s definitely disappointing talking about something people can’t change, the color of their skin.</p><p>“So the work that Drew puts in, that I put in, I don’t know, you just don’t want to see that,” Pritchard told Jay King of The Athletic, via Greg Dudek of NESN.</p><h2><b>Celtics guard Payton Pritchard pushes back against Gilbert Arenas’ implied racist remarks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Celtics-guard-Payton-Pritchard-11-passes-the-ball.jpg"><figcaption>© Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>At this point, it’s best to not take anything Gilbert Arenas says seriously. The man known as “Hibachi” has a penchant for making insensitive remarks.</p><p>He thrashed the South Sudan national basketball team, discrediting all their hard work after Team USA’s close exhibition win back in July, and then he has always had it out for Nikola Jokic — even <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-gilbert-arenas-is-wrong-when-he-says-nuggets-nikola-jokic-is-worst-mvp-winner-in-40-years">calling him the worst MVP</a> in the history of the league.</p><p>Arenas has made plenty of remarks with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/olympic-news-joel-embiid-response-gilbert-arenas-south-sudan-take">racist undertones</a> in the past, and unfortunately, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard fell straight on to his crosshair. This is the perfect example of why no one should ever have to meet their idol in the flesh.</p><p>“When you’re a fan of somebody growing up, and for them to make comments like that, it can be disappointing,” Pritchard added.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Payton Pritchard issues honest response to Gilbert Arenas’ diss

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-eye-opening-take-payton-pritchard-take-over');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics star Jaylen Brown’s eye-opening take on letting Payton Pritchard take over');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jaylen-Browns-eye-opening-take-on-letting-Payton-Pritchard-take-over.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics star Jaylen Brown’s eye-opening take on letting Payton Pritchard take over</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-03T19:12:02-08:00">December 3rd, 7:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-03T19:12:02-08:00">December 3rd, 7:12pm</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>BOSTON — It’s almost unheard of to see a reigning NBA Finals MVP defer to a bench player on offense. However, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavericks-news-kyrie-irving-celtics-superteam-comment-viral">Boston Celtics boast such an embarrassment of riches</a> that this exact scenario occurred with star Jaylen Brown and backup point guard Payton Pritchard on Monday night during the Green Team’s 108-89 victory over the Miami Heat.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-award-winning-take-jayson-tatum">Pritchard is undoubtedly playing the best basketball</a> of his NBA career to start the 2024-25 regular season. Through 21 games, he’s averaged a career-high 16.4 points while shooting an incredible 48.9% from the field. The Oregon native has notched at least 20 points in four-straight games and even earned a nomination for Eastern Conference Player of the Week for his play from November 25th to December 1st.</p><p>Against Miami, Pritchard finished with 25 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block in 33 minutes. The former first-round pick had the highest plus-minus rating (plus-16) of any bench player on Monday and outscored every Heat starter. Numbers like those help explain why a three-time All-Star trusts Pritchard whenever he has the ball.</p><p>“[Pritchard has] definitely been expanding his game and I love to see it,” Brown told reporters during his postgame presser. “I said before the season started that we play through Payton against certain teams and matchups. Now I don’t think anybody thinks anything of that comment. We’re gonna continue to do that, continue to look for him to get going because he’s proven that it don’t even matter—it’s any team now.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Celtics star Jaylen Brown on Payton Pritchard wearing his 741 shoes and Payton's career year:</p><p>"He's been in my bag, man, for sure. He got my shoes on. I'm gonna have to take my joints back. He definitely has the up-fakes, the post moves, he's definitely been expanding his game… <a href="https://t.co/doWbghusFb">pic.twitter.com/doWbghusFb</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1863988931592950136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Why Celtics star Jaylen Brown respects Payton Pritchard’s abilities</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jaylen-Brown.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Whether it’s an undermanned Heat squad or <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-reason-cavs-kenny-atkinson-strayed-philosophy">the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers</a>, Pritchard can put on a show against any opponent. His confidence is palpable, yet his work off the court is arguably the main reason Boston’s brightest stars believe in his game.</p><p>“He’s put in the work to garner people’s respect. Payton’s a gym rat. He’s always in the gym working on his game,” Brown complimented. “So he’s earned the respect to be able to do other things because of how good he has been all season long in his role. And I encourage it. On the court, when he’s got it going, I take my butt to the corner and Payton’s running the show.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Payton Pritchard does it again <a href="https://t.co/7jPAd4w4P1">pic.twitter.com/7jPAd4w4P1</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1863769460378570770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Although Brown’s resume exceeds Pritchard’s (and a large chunk of the NBA), he is more than willing to respect the hot hand and let Pritchard take over when the time is right. That sacrifice speaks to the Finals MVP’s maturity and the Celtics’ remarkable depth.</p><p>“You gotta have that ability throughout the year to have a group that knows on any given night you can be the first option, you can be the fifth option, depending on who’s doing what on our team,” Brown said. “Offensively, any given night it could be whoever.”</p><p>While Pritchard impressed the TD Garden crowd with his efficiency, Brown still had a game-high 29 points in 31 minutes. The 28-year-old shot under 40% on the evening, but still wanted credit for his hand in Pritchard’s performance.</p><p>“He’s been in my bag, man, for sure. He got my shoes on. I’m gonna have to take my joints back,” Brown joked. “He definitely has the up-fakes, the post moves.”</p><p>For much of the season, Pritchard has worn the 741 Rover shoes, which are part of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-makes-bold-sneaker-business-move-before-2024-25-season">Brown’s self-made 741 Performance brand</a>. On Tuesday, Brown posted his teammate’s impressive stats while donning his new kicks:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">As Jaylen Brown said, “It must be the shoes.”</p><p>I think JB posted Payton Pritchard’s stats while wearing his 741 Performance shoes.</p><p>(Via <a href="https://twitter.com/FCHWPO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCHWPO</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/741Performance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@741Performance</a> on IG) <a href="https://t.co/95kYr1uDI9">pic.twitter.com/95kYr1uDI9</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1864012663950295089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>No matter what Pritchard has on his feet, he is an asset for the 17-4 Celtics. Brown and company recognize that, and they’re hopeful the bench guard still hasn’t reached his ceiling.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics star Jaylen Brown’s eye-opening take on letting Payton Pritchard take over

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-reason-cavs-kenny-atkinson-strayed-philosophy');   ga('set', 'title', 'The Payton Pritchard reason Kenny Atkinson strayed from philosophy vs. Celtics');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/The-Payton-Pritchard-reason-Cavs-Kenny-Atkinson-strayed-from-philosophy.jpg"></figure><h1>The Payton Pritchard reason Kenny Atkinson strayed from philosophy vs. Celtics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-02T05:40:41-08:00">December 2nd, 5:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-02T05:40:41-08:00">December 2nd, 5:40am</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard was once an afterthought on the Green Team’s bench. He now <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-doc-rivers-truth-bomb-celtics-pest-killed-milwaukee">commands the attention of opposing teams</a> across the NBA, including the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers.</p><p>Although Cleveland held a four-point lead with 22 seconds to go in a Sunday night showdown with Boston, Pritchard rattled in a 3-pointer to make it a game again with 18 ticks remaining in the fourth quarter. That triple accounted for just three of his 17 points in the final 12 minutes of the battle for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">BIG TIME HIT 🤯 <a href="https://t.co/w2iqTAe9Tk">pic.twitter.com/w2iqTAe9Tk</a></p><p>— Boston Celtics (@celtics) <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1863392290498032053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Following that clutch shot, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson refused to let Pritchard beat his squad. The Celtics failed to attempt a field goal during their next three offensive possessions because the Cavs kept preemptively fouling and putting them on the line. This was an anticlimactic strategy that Atkinson once disavowed, however, it was <a href="https://x.com/AmNotEvan/status/1863400898820497638" rel="noopener">effective down the stretch</a>, per Evan Dammarell of ClutchPoints.</p><p>“I said, ‘Screw that. We’re fouling,'” Atkinson recalled. “‘I do not want to see Payton Pritchard hit another step-back three.'”</p><p>Boston returned the favor by repeatedly fouling Cleveland in hopes of a timely miss, yet the Cavs converted on all eight of their attempts from the charity stripe in the last 18 seconds.</p><p>Pritchard tried to break the stalemate when he intentionally missed a free throw with five seconds left. It might’ve worked too, but the backup guard went for the rebound too early and was whistled for a lane violation. The Cavs held on for the 115-111 win and snapped the Celtics’ seven-game winning streak in the process.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Payton Pritchard had the perfect on purpose missed free throw.  </p><p>But the refs said he entered the lane early.  </p><p>😳 <a href="https://t.co/bKLoe2k9Q5">pic.twitter.com/bKLoe2k9Q5</a></p><p>— Savage (@SavageSports_) <a href="https://twitter.com/SavageSports_/status/1863394635256647915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>How have Kenny Atkinson’s Cavs and Payton Pritchard’s Celtics fared this season?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Kenny-Atkinson.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Despite the road loss, Pritchard finished with 24 points and seven rebounds in 36 minutes of play. On Friday during a 138-129 victory over the Chicago Bulls, the Oregon native notched a season-high 29 points, with 19 points coming in the fourth quarter alone. Atkinson clearly monitored that output, as he opted to continuously foul rather than risk the chance of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-award-winning-take-jayson-tatum">another late-game barrage from Pritchard</a>.</p><p>His fouling philosophy helped the Cavs remain atop the Eastern Conference and improve to an impressive 18-3. Earlier this season, Atkinson became the first coach in NBA history to start 15-0 with a new team. This year marks his first with the Cavs, who fired former skipper J.B. Bickerstaff shortly after the Celtics eliminated them in five games in the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals.</p><p>In the regular season, the Celtics and Cavs have had their last eight meetings decided by seven points or less. The latest tight contest dropped the reigning champion C’s to 16-4 overall and 1-1 against the Cavs during the 2024-25 campaign.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">UNDEFEATED NO MORE‼️</p><p>The Celtics put an end to the Cavs 15-0 start by handing them their first loss of the season 🍀</p><p>Cleveland's 15 straight wins was tied for the second-longest win streak to start a season in NBA history! <a href="https://t.co/pMtQWLKay8">pic.twitter.com/pMtQWLKay8</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1859059771048960472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Boston prevailed 120-117 in November and ended Cleveland’s historic 15-game winning streak. The C’s weren’t as healthy in their second encounter with the Cavs since <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-4-key-players-injury-report-vs-cavs">starters Jaylen Brown and Derrick White were both sidelined</a> ahead of a difficult homestand that features four games in six days. They should return to action on Monday night against the rival Miami Heat, who the Celtics also bounced from the 2024 NBA Playoffs.</p><p>Cleveland’s upcoming schedule isn’t quite as grueling. The Cavs will play four games in seven days and two of those outings are with Eastern Conference bottom-feeders such as the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets. The next time they face the Celtics will be on Tuesday, February 4th—and then again on Friday, February 28th.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The Payton Pritchard reason Kenny Atkinson strayed from philosophy vs. Celtics

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-award-winning-take-jayson-tatum');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Payton Pritchard earns award-winning take from Jayson Tatum');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Celtics-news-Payton-Pritchard-earns-award-winning-take-from-Jayson-Tatum.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics’ Payton Pritchard earns award-winning take from Jayson Tatum</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-30T12:00:10-08:00">November 30th, 12:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-30T12:00:10-08:00">November 30th, 12:00pm</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics were stuck in a back-and-forth battle with the Chicago Bulls on Friday night with their NBA Cup hopes at stake. With just 8:09 remaining in the fourth quarter, the scoreboard showed 108-108 at the United Center. Then, Payton Pritchard happened.</p><p>The fifth-year Celtic scored 11 points in a row, cashing three triples and notching a tough layup in less than three minutes. After this outburst, Boston led 119-112 with 5:25 left in regulation. The Celtics didn’t look back, prevailing 138-129 and eliminating the Bulls from NBA Cup contention.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This was all within a five-minute span of the fourth quarter: <a href="https://t.co/oQEZ1tVbPT">https://t.co/oQEZ1tVbPT</a> <a href="https://t.co/E1TErN9y5G">pic.twitter.com/E1TErN9y5G</a></p><p>— NBA University (@NBA_University) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA_University/status/1862724581116551597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Following Pritchard’s impressive outing, Celtics star Jayson Tatum stated that he believes his teammate deserves some personal hardware this season, per NBC Sports Boston.</p><p>“It’s been pretty cool to see him grow into the player he is. Being effective on a championship team and the things he’s doing—Sixth Man of the Year worthy for me,” Tatum stated. “[He] is always working on the court. Preseason, he’s always playing one-on-one, trying to get up extra shots. We see the work that he puts in. We trust him to make the right plays.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jayson Tatum on Payton Pritchard:</p><p>“Sixth Man of the Year worthy for me.”</p><p>“You’ve got to earn the respect of your teammates…and you do that by showing up every day…We see the work that he puts in and we trust him to make the right plays.”</p><p>(🎥: <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBCSCeltics</a>) <a href="https://t.co/c9Jmcr3vWD">https://t.co/c9Jmcr3vWD</a> <a href="https://t.co/CutSDeGNfB">pic.twitter.com/CutSDeGNfB</a></p><p>— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyKrivitsky/status/1862721562954330284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>In the fourth quarter alone, Pritchard scored a game-high 19 points. No other Celtic even recorded double figures in that stretch. The Oregon native also had four rebounds in the last 12 minutes while no other player had more than three boards during that span.</p><p>Pritchard finished with 29 points, seven rebounds, and one steal in 28 minutes. Tatum was arguably the only Celtic who had a better night, as the five-time All-Star contributed 35 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists in the win.</p><h2><b>Does Payton Pritchard have a real shot at Sixth Man of the Year?</b></h2><p>Although the 2024-25 NBA season is only about a quarter of the way through, it’s not too early to put Pritchard in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation. Tatum already did and reigning NBA Finals MVP <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-gets-real-payton-pritchard-6th-man-year-case">Jaylen Brown mentioned it as well</a>.</p><p>“I mean, it’s early in the season, but Payton’s been balling,” Brown said on Monday of Pritchard’s Sixth Man of the Year campaign. “He’s been a superstar in his role all season long. He’s always been a hardworking guy who shows up early, puts his work in, but now it’s like we’re really starting to see the growth. I think Payton could be significant on any other team. He accepts his role and he has been fantastic for us.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">It’s been quite the start for Payton Pritchard.</p><p>Last 16 games of the 2024-25 season:</p><p>– Scored 20 points or more 6️⃣ times</p><p>The last 47 games of the 2023-24 season (including playoffs):</p><p>– Scored 20 points or more 6️⃣ times</p><p>He only surpassed 20 twice during the 2022-23 season. <a href="https://t.co/powMcRgx6v">pic.twitter.com/powMcRgx6v</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1862866979645686190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Through 19 games, the former first-round pick is averaging a career-high 27.4 minutes and 15.6 points. Despite the increase in playing time and shot production, Pritchard is more efficient than ever, shooting a career-high 48.5 percent from the field. In addition, he’s shooting an incredible 44 percent from deep and has drained the sixth-most 3-pointers in the NBA this season.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-challenges-unforeseen-superstar">This red-hot start</a> is forcing opposing teams <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-doc-rivers-truth-bomb-celtics-pest-killed-milwaukee">to pay more attention to Pritchard</a>. It’s also catching the eye of Las Vegas because according to Vegas Insider, DraftKings, FanDuel, and <a href="https://www.vegasinsider.com/nba/odds/sixth-man/" rel="noopener">a few other major sportsbooks</a>, Pritchard is the clear favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year currently.</p><p>Above all else, Pritchard is concerned with winning, not personal accolades. But, if he keeps his current pace up, he can achieve both. The Celtics are now 16-3 overall and less than a game behind the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers, who they face on Sunday afternoon.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Payton Pritchard earns award-winning take from Jayson Tatum

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-gets-real-payton-pritchard-6th-man-year-case');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gets real on Payton Pritchard’s 6th Man of the Year case');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Celtics-news-Jaylen-Brown-gets-real-on-Payton-Pritchards-6th-Man-of-the-Year-case.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gets real on Payton Pritchard’s 6th Man of the Year case</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-26T04:43:42-08:00">November 26th, 4:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-26T04:43:42-08:00">November 26th, 4:43am</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>BOSTON — The NBA Sixth Man of the Year trophy is named after Boston Celtics legend John Havlicek, so it’s only right that one of the early front-runners for the award is Celtics guard Payton Pritchard. And on Monday night, during a 126-94 drubbing of the Los Angeles Clippers, Pritchard showed why he deserves to take home one of the few pieces of NBA hardware.</p><p>The Celtics boast an incredible amount of talent, as they roster stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and just had 2018 All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-kristaps-porzingis-immediate-reaction-first-game-back-injury">Kristaps Porzingis return to the starting lineup</a>. With all those stellar players, it’s easy for bench guys to get lost in the mix.</p><p>That hasn’t been the case for Pritchard. The Oregon native hit a game-high six triples versus the Clippers and finished with 20 points, four assists, two steals, and two rebounds. His terrific plus-minus rating of plus-30 was the best of any player and proves how much the Celtics benefit from subbing him in.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Payton Pritchard relocates and finds some space for the three-ball 🔥<a href="https://t.co/DGWFwKCYJV">pic.twitter.com/DGWFwKCYJV</a></p><p>— Celtics Nation (@CelticsNationCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/CelticsNationCP/status/1861218830489657723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Less than two hours before tipoff, Brown endorsed Pritchard’s campaign for Sixth Man of the Year and commented that the backup point guard should “easily” be considered for the honor.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Easily <a href="https://t.co/RptOJAVchu">https://t.co/RptOJAVchu</a></p><p>— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCHWPO/status/1861181452412396029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Pritchard immediately proved him right, yet that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-challenges-unforeseen-superstar">didn’t come as a surprise for Brown</a>.</p><p>“I mean, it’s early in the season, but Payton’s been balling,” Brown said of his teammate’s chances for Sixth Man of the Year. “He’s been a superstar in his role all season long. He’s always been a hardworking guy that shows up early, puts his work in, but now it’s like we’re really starting to see the growth. I think Payton could be significant on any other team. He accepts his role and he has been fantastic for us.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jaylen Brown on Payton Pritchard:</p><p>“It’s early in the season, but Payton has been balling. He’s been a superstar in his role… he’s always been a hardworking guy that shows up early and puts his work in. But now, you are really starting to see the growth.” <a href="https://t.co/OxCxtOfE6L">pic.twitter.com/OxCxtOfE6L</a></p><p>— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinmTurpin/status/1861261761598390356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>How has Payton Pritchard shined for the Celtics?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Payton-Pritchard.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“All season long” isn’t an exaggeration. Pritchard has played in all 18 of Boston’s games and averaged a career-high 27.3 minutes per game. As a result of this increase in playing time, the former first-round pick is averaging a career-high 14.8 points per outing and shooting over 47% from the field.</p><p>In addition, he currently boasts the sixth-most makes from 3-point land in the league. The only players who’ve drained more triples are star players or occasional starters who’ve totaled at least 559 minutes. Pritchard has not started a game during the 2024-25 regular season and has yet to log over 500 minutes.</p><p>“Anytime I’m in the game, I’m looking to get him going,” Brown revealed in his postgame presser. “Anytime he’s on the court, you know, he’s a threat. So, Payton has been balling. It’s been pretty obvious.”</p><p>The fifth-year Celtic’s abilities have been so apparent that opposing teams are taking notice. He’s getting scouted more than ever and Milwaukee Bucks coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-doc-rivers-truth-bomb-celtics-pest-killed-milwaukee">Doc Rivers even mentioned circling Pritchard’s name</a> before playing the C’s in Boston. That note didn’t amount to much because Pritchard wound up with a season-high 28 points in the win and shot a dazzling 71.4% from the floor.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Watch Doc Rivers as Pritchard is dribbling up the court.</p><p>He knew what was about to happen 😂 <a href="https://t.co/6k0AD7o8PJ">pic.twitter.com/6k0AD7o8PJ</a></p><p>— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/1851117870874263813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Despite the Sixth Man of the Year hype surrounding him, Pritchard is still putting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUqdYLq9rEs" rel="noopener">winning above anything else</a>, per CLNS Media.</p><p>“It’s really out of my control. If I get voted for that and I get that honor, that’d be incredible. But I’m not going to chase it and go try to get stats,” Pritchard emphasized after recording his fifth 20-point game off the bench this season. “It’s more about playing winning basketball. And if I’m fortunate enough to win it through that then that’d be an honor.”</p><p>This selfless mentality helps explain why the Celtics are 15-3 and on a six-game winning streak. It also demonstrates Pritchard’s maturity. The once-disgruntled bench member is now an NBA champion with a real shot at a prestigious trophy and, most importantly, another title.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gets real on Payton Pritchard’s 6th Man of the Year case

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-perfect-response-hype-15-0-cavs-showdown');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Payton Pritchard has perfect response to hype for 15-0 Cavs showdown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Celtics-news-Payton-Pritchards-perfect-response-to-hype-for-15-0-Cavs-showdown.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics’ Payton Pritchard has perfect response to hype for 15-0 Cavs showdown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-18T12:24:25-08:00">November 18th, 12:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-18T12:24:25-08:00">November 18th, 12:24pm</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>BOSTON — As the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics entered the 2024-25 NBA season as the team to beat. And in many ways, they still are. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavs-news-cleveland-suffer-possible-losses-in-win-hornets">the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers</a> are also notable contenders who happen to be on a collision course with the C’s.</p><p>On Tuesday night, the Celtics and Cavs will square off at TD Garden in an NBA Cup contest. The Cavaliers weren’t receiving much preseason praise a few months ago, yet they’ve captured the league’s attention thanks to <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/2025_games.html" rel="noopener">a 15-0 start</a>. This marks the second-best run to open a season in NBA history and is only trumped by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. Those 73-9 Dubs went an unprecedented 24-0 but later lost in the 2016 NBA Finals to, ironically, the Cavs.</p><p>Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard respects what Cleveland’s accomplished so far. That doesn’t mean he’s treating the Green Team’s Eastern Conference showdown with the Cavaliers differently.</p><p>“Maybe for some, but not necessarily for me,” he answered at a Monday morning practice when asked if Tuesday’s game provided any extra motivation. “Every game we play I’m excited. So it doesn’t matter if they were 0-15, I’m gonna come in with the same mentality.”</p><p>The fifth-year Celtic means it, too. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-underdog-message-response-white-boy-year-sign">Pritchard knows the struggle</a> of fighting to get on the court and earn minutes. As a result, he never takes any opportunity for playing time for granted.</p><p>Whether he’s burying the rebuilding Charlotte Hornets with 22 points on a Saturday afternoon or showing out with 18 points against the 2021 NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-gets-100-real-about-payton-pritchard-after-bucks-takedown">Pritchard comes to play every game</a>. His commitment to always bringing it has helped him secure a more established role with the Celtics and a career-high 28.2 minutes per outing this season.</p><p>Through 15 games, the Oregon native is averaging 15.5 points while shooting 46.4% from the floor and 41.9% from deep.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard all find themselves in the top 10 for 3-point makes this season.</p><p>Al Horford is also in the top 50. <a href="https://t.co/fyxDwFI6UO">pic.twitter.com/fyxDwFI6UO</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1858190916021866833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Man, he’s gotten a lot better, as you guys have seen,” Celtics sharp-shooter Sam Hauser said. “I’ve known he can do this. I’ve known that for a while now. He’s finally showing it.”</p><h2><b>Where do the Celtics and Cavaliers find themselves ahead of Tuesday night’s clash?</b></h2><p>With Pritchard’s hot shooting and reliable production from Celtics starters Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White, Boston is 11-3 overall and in second place in the Eastern Conference. The C’s were on top of the East for 353 days until late October when they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-joe-mazzullas-blunt-admission-boston-form-loss-pacers">fell to the Indiana Pacers</a> and dropped to 4-1. That same day, the Cavs thumped the Los Angeles Lakers to improve to 5-0 and move into first place.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is the first time in 353 days that the Boston Celtics haven’t been in first place in the Eastern Conference.</p><p>Pretty insane run at the top. <a href="https://t.co/lsj5aR3q8n">pic.twitter.com/lsj5aR3q8n</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1852000204557254921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Cleveland hasn’t relinquished its grip on the top seed since. The Cavaliers are led by star guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland and 2022 All-Star center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavs-news-is-jarrett-allen-playing-game-1-vs-celtics-latest-injury-update">Jarrett Allen, who was sidelined with a broken rib</a> for the entirety of the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the Celtics.</p><p>“They’re a really good team,” Pritchard acknowledged. “They’ve got a lot of good guards. Good length. Their bigs are playing well … It’s gonna be a good matchup, we’re looking forward to it. It’s gonna be competitive. And hopefully, you know, the Boston crowd comes out tomorrow.”</p><p>Boston has allowed the third-most points in the paint this season while Cleveland is averaging the fourth-most points per game in that area. The Celtics often prefer to have teams hurt them inside rather than beyond the perimeter, yet the Cavs’ dominance at the rim could alter that game plan.</p><p>No matter where the Celtics and Cavs attack each other, Tuesday should provide an intriguing meeting between two of the best teams in the NBA. As for Pritchard, it’ll be business as usual in pursuit of another win.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Payton Pritchard has perfect response to hype for 15-0 Cavs showdown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-underdog-message-response-white-boy-year-sign');   ga('set', 'title', 'Payton Pritchard’s ‘underdog’ message in response to fan’s ‘white boy of the year’ sign');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Celtics-news-Payton-Pritchards-underdog-message-in-response-to-fans-white-boy-of-the-year-sign.jpg"></figure><h1>Payton Pritchard’s ‘underdog’ message in response to fan’s ‘white boy of the year’ sign</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-29T15:10:45-07:00">October 29th, 3:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-29T15:10:45-07:00">October 29th, 3:10pm</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>BOSTON — Unlike many of his taller teammates, Boston Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard doesn’t necessarily stand out in a crowd. In fact, the 6-foot-1 backup said that sometimes he can <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/payton-pritchards-wife-catches-heartfelt-moment-of-celtics-guard-with-fan-at-local-park">go out in public</a> with a hat and people won’t recognize him.</p><p>On Monday night though, Pritchard’s game was outstanding. The fifth-year Celtic burned the Milwaukee Bucks, notching an impressive 28 points while missing just four of his 14 shot attempts. His<a href="https://x.com/danield1214/status/1851072509598138730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1851072509598138730%7Ctwgr%5E9497411c5e4214a5081ce4795abf9ff1d5bfaace%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.clutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D3097678action%3Dedit" rel="noopener"> terrific performance</a> helped the C’s clinch a 119-108 victory and improve to 4-0 on the season.</p><p>The former first-round pick once requested a trade out of Boston, but now Beantown seems to be the perfect fit. The fans at TD Garden treat him like he’s an All-Star, even deeming him the “white boy of the year.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A fan is holding up this sign as Payton Pritchard goes through his pregame workout. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Celtics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Celtics</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/QPuHJILL1I">pic.twitter.com/QPuHJILL1I</a></p><p>— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) <a href="https://twitter.com/GwashburnGlobe/status/1851033708377116699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>When Pritchard was asked about the sign during his postgame presser, he quickly chuckled.</p><p>“Well, I definitely appreciate it,” he said with a smile.</p><p>On a more serious note, the former first-round pick then explained that his journey with the Celtics shows how hard work can make anything possible.</p><p>“I feel like I give hope to everybody that is the same size as me,” he stated. “I’m not necessarily the most athletic, but with hard work, you can make it a long way, and I feel like I’m a prime example of that. I never quit, and I’ll keep going. Anything you put your mind to in life, you can accomplish it. So I’m proud to give hope to those people.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Payton Pritchard speaks to his underdog mentality and how he’s made it far in the NBA despite being undersized:</p><p>“I feel like I give hope to everybody that’s the same size as me. I’m not necessarily the most athletic, but with hard work you can make it a long way.” <a href="https://t.co/uXD4Nydlvz">pic.twitter.com/uXD4Nydlvz</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1851090992562053419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>The rest of the Celtics appreciate Payton Pritchard</b></h2><p>Celtics fans aren’t the only ones captivated by Pritchard.</p><p>Head coach Joe Mazzulla <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-gets-100-real-about-payton-pritchard-after-bucks-takedown">loves his point guard’s drive</a> and appreciates his competitive fire.</p><p>“The guy is just good,” he said. “I thought he kept us in it in the first half. And he’s just finding different ways to impact the game. Tonight, it was his shooting and his defense. Sometimes, it’s his passing, but the kid’s a competitor. I love watching him play.”</p><p>So far this season, Pritchard is averaging 16.3 points and three rebounds in 25 minutes per outing. He’s also shooting 48.8% from the floor and an incredible 50% from 3-point range. It’s only been four games, yet the Oregon native has been an absolute stud for Boston.</p><p>Reigning 2024 NBA Finals MVP and Celtics star Jaylen Brown agrees.</p><p>“What he does speaks for itself. Payton is a killer,” he told the media. “If you don’t pay attention to him and you don’t guard him, he’ll light you up. We just played through him tonight.”</p><p>The Bucks showed Pritchard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-doc-rivers-truth-bomb-celtics-pest-killed-milwaukee">some more defensive pressure</a> down the stretch, however, their efforts were futile. His six points in the fourth quarter matched Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s late-game output and collectively, Milwaukee hit the <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1851078433423421632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1851078433423421632%7Ctwgr%5Edeaffddc79de77c60250a54e0c897612d08f45ec%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.clutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D3097678action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">same number</a> of 3-pointers as Pritchard (eight) in 48 minutes of play.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Payton Pritchard is a FLAMETHROWER from deep 🔥</p><p>He has 28 points and 8 made threes, a Celtics record for most 3PM off the bench 🍀<a href="https://t.co/B3lq7FdLj4">pic.twitter.com/B3lq7FdLj4</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1851078433423421632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“You know some nights our starters might have low energy,” Pritchard admitted. “It’s a long season, so I got to be responsible to bring it that night.”</p><p>Saying he brought it on Monday would be an understatement. If Celtics sharp-shooter Sam Hauser continues to sit with a back injury, don’t be surprised if Pritchard dazzles again with a larger minutes share.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Payton Pritchard’s ‘underdog’ message in response to fan’s ‘white boy of the year’ sign

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-gets-100-real-about-payton-pritchard-after-bucks-takedown');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla gets 100% real about Payton Pritchard after Bucks takedown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Celtics-news-Joe-Mazzulla-gets-100-real-about-Payton-Pritchard-after-Bucks-takedown.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla gets 100% real about Payton Pritchard after Bucks takedown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-28T20:40:43-07:00">October 28th, 8:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-29T08:42:44-07:00">October 29th, 8:42am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The defending champion Boston Celtics are rolling. Following their 119-108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, they are now 4-0 start the new season. While one of their big dogs, Jaylen Brown, led the team in scoring with 30 points, an unsung hero came up huge for Boston amid a bit of a lackluster shooting night for Jayson Tatum — with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/payton-pritchards-wife-catches-heartfelt-moment-of-celtics-guard-with-fan-at-local-park">Payton Pritchard erupting</a> for 28 points in 28 minutes off the bench.</p><p>Pritchard came in and made it rain from beyond the arc, nailing eight of his 12 attempts from deep as he did most of his damage in the first half to keep the Bucks at bay. He simply relishes the moment, with Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla lauding the 26-year-old’s <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1851089803573330202" rel="noopener">competitive streak</a> that enables him to play his best in big games.</p><p>“He doesn’t give two s**ts about anything other than just competing at the highest level. He’s a purist competitor, I really appreciate that about him,” Mazzulla said in his postgame presser, via Celtics on NBC Sports Boston on X (formerly Twitter).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"He's a purist competitor, I really appreciate that about him." </p><p>Joe Mazzulla on Payton Pritchard <a href="https://t.co/vhtt7oSOyv">pic.twitter.com/vhtt7oSOyv</a></p><p>— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1851089803573330202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Pritchard’s night to night box score contributions may vary wildly given that he’s playing a bench role for the Celtics behind Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. But his competitive nature should allow the Celtics to maintain a healthy mentality as they look to win another championship.</p><h2><b>Payton Pritchard’s Celtics redemption arc</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Celtics-guard-Payton-Pritchard-11-reacts-after-a-shot.jpg"></figure><p>It wasn’t too long ago when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-celtics-payton-pritchard-trade-2023-nba-draft-pick">Payton Pritchard was on the outs</a> with the Celtics, with the team putting out feelers for him on the trade market. Back then, he was relegated to a mop-up role behind Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon. But now, he’s locked into his role as the first guard off the Boston bench, and he has been making the most out of the trust the team has given him.</p><p>Mazzulla has already spoken about Pritchard’s extreme competitive nature, and Pritchard has even admitted that he thinks he’s the most competitive on the team. As per ClutchPoints Celtics beat reporter Daniel Donabedian reported, Pritchard, <a href="https://x.com/danield1214/status/1851090278083420635" rel="noopener">point blank, said</a> that he “hates losing”.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Payton Pritchard said he never wants to lose, even if it’s whiffle ball before practice:</p><p>“I’m probably the most competitive on our team. I hate losing.” <a href="https://t.co/iPMjSxSsxW">pic.twitter.com/iPMjSxSsxW</a></p><p>— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) <a href="https://twitter.com/danield1214/status/1851090278083420635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Now that he’s still with arguably the best team in the league, Pritchard is home. The Celtics, after all, won’t be experiencing much losing this year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla gets 100% real about Payton Pritchard after Bucks takedown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/payton-pritchards-wife-catches-heartfelt-moment-of-celtics-guard-with-fan-at-local-park');   ga('set', 'title', 'Payton Pritchard’s wife catches heartfelt moment of Celtics guard with fan at local park');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Celtics-news-Payton-Pritchards-wife-catches-heartfelt-moment-of-Boston-guard-with-fan-at-local-park.jpg"></figure><h1>Payton Pritchard’s wife catches heartfelt moment of Celtics guard with fan at local park</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-27T13:23:04-07:00">October 27th, 1:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-28T08:20:37-07:00">October 28th, 8:20am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Celtics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-mind-blowing-3-point-shooting-percentage-stat-key-success">Boston Celtics have been on fire from the three-point line</a> to open up the 2024-25 season with their range extending so far that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-payton-pritchard-proposes-game-changing-rule-buzzer-beater">Payton Pritchard is suggesting</a> the NBA add a four-point line.</p><p>The Celtics moved to 3-0 on the young season with a surprisingly tight win on Saturday evening vs the Detroit Pistons in a game in which Boston led by 20, eventually went down by as many as six late in the fourth quarter, but ultimately came away with the victory.</p><p>Pritchard played well once again in this contest, and he didn’t take long getting back on the court on the Celtics’ off day on Sunday as his wife Emma took to Instagram to <a href="https://x.com/CTabatabaie/status/1850587641051308398" rel="noopener">post a video</a> of Pritchard playing one-on-one against a young fan at a local park, per Cameron Tabatabaie on X, formerly Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Payton Pritchard’s wife Emma just posted this on IG and it’s awesome <a href="https://t.co/7exhh4c8oR">pic.twitter.com/7exhh4c8oR</a></p><p>— Cameron Tabatabaie (@CTabatabaie) <a href="https://twitter.com/CTabatabaie/status/1850587641051308398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“We took our dog to the park, and I turn around and find him here,” she wrote alongside a slew of laughing emojis.</p><p>The heartwarming moment was another example of how much Pritchard has embraced the Boston community since being drafted to the Celtics out of Oregon, reiterating that by signing an extension with the franchise last offseason.</p><h2><b>Can the Celtics repeat this year?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/The-Celtics-in-Detroit.jpg"><figcaption>David Reginek-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Celtics have the rare distinction of being a team that recently dominated on their way to an NBA championship while still simultaneously feeling disrespected coming into the following season.</p><p>Jayson Tatum in particular had some motivation due to the fact that he was benched on multiple occasions for Team USA this summer at the Paris Olympics. The culprit for that was largely Tatum’s jump shot, which appeared to be broken during both the playoffs this past season as well as the Olympics.</p><p>Tatum has responded to that criticism by coming out red hot from beyond the three-point line this season, showing off a new and improved jumper that seems to have largely eliminated the hitch that made it a bit painful to watch in seasons past.</p><p>The Celtics as a whole also have reason to feel disrespected as many have criticized their championship run from a year ago as being largely the result of injuries to their opponents.</p><p>While Boston’s playoff opponents did suffer a truly insane amount of ailments in those series, the team was still by far the most dominant squad in the league throughout the season and have started off on a similar note to open up the current campaign.</p><p>In any case, Boston will next take the floor on Monday evening at home vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
15.7	3.7	3.1	0.1	1.0

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
15.7	3.7	3.1	0.1	1.0

Payton Pritchard news

Payton
Pritchard news