Payton Pritchard makes compelling playoff change in Boston Celtics Game 1 win (2025)

BOSTON — Payton Pritchard played perfect offensive basketball for his first seven minutes of action in the first half of the Celtics Game 1 matchup against the Orlando Magic. The reserve guard erupted for 11 points in those minutes, but still found himself back on the bench for the majority of the second quarter as Orlando erased Boston's 11-point first half lead to go ahead at halftime.

Joe Mazzulla shifted course in the second half with his reserve guard, making Pritchard the first sub off the bench in the third quarter. The 6th man favorite helped carry over the momentum from the starters’ 15-4 run to begin the quarter as he rode Pritchard for the final 18 minutes of the game in the Celtics 103-86 win in Game 1.

Pritchard finished with a postseason career high 19 points in the victory and was the most efficient scorer on the floor in the victory, knocking down six of his eight shot attempts, including four of six from 3-point range. The performance did not surprise his teammates, who have counted on Pritchard’s consistency all year long.

“Payton being Payton,” Jrue Holiday said. ‘I think when he first came out he had a quick 11 points. Payton is also a gamer, as everybody here sees. Any opportunity he gets to put the ball in the basket, he does it.”

Pritchard averaged a career-high 14.3 points this season but has always seen a diminished role in past postseasons, never averaging more than 6.4 points per game in four seasons. His size at 6-foot-1 has made him a liability at times against certain opponents from a defensive perspective. However, that’s an area he’s determined to change this season, and was off to a strong start on that front Sunday by creating ball pressure and helping Boston’s transition attack.

“I thought he was just as good defensively as he was offensively,” Joe Mazzulla said. “Just him pushing the pace on the offensive end, but really his physicality at the point of attack was big for us. I think he got two tip-out rebounds in the second half that were big for us.”

Jrue Holiday (three steals) helped Boston’s backcourt wreak havoc against the Magic in the second half as Orlando mustered just 37 points after a scoring 31 points in the second quarter.

“What makes him special is what he does on the defensive end,” Holiday said. Picking up anybody fullcourt, just being a dog, hounding whoever is in front of him."

Orlando’s backcourt uttered just four total field goals in Game 1 with usual bench spark plug Cole Anthony looking ineffective in his 10 minutes with just four points. On a day Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were struggling, Pritchard was ready to show that he’s more than just a regular season contributor this time around.

“That’s another dog, you know what I mean?” Brown said. “He’s been showing that all year with his mentality and his mindset. It’s gonna be more of that than it is about being skillful or strategy, it’s gonna be more about fighting. That’s the other side of the game that we gotta win.

“That’s the in-betweens, so you know we gotta focus on that. Payton, his mentality has been like that all season long, so when he gets in the game it’s no different. Today was an example of what he’s been doing all season long. We need more of that so just gotta be ready for Game 2.”

With Orlando content to play with no true center off the bench, Pritchard won’t be an easy target for a Magic backcourt that lacks much firepower. Pritchard only played 25 minutes or more in a game three times last season. If Game 1 was any indication, he’s set to lap that number this postseason and raise his stature around the league amid Boston’s quest to repeat.

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