Boston Celtics
Pritchard notched 36 points in a dominant performance from the field.
Payton Pritchard was 13-for-23 from the floor and 6-for-11 from 3-point range in Friday’s win. Barry Chin/Globe Staff
The Celtics were without Jaylen Brown, but Payton Pritchard and Jayson Tatum led the way to a win over the streaking Hawks, claiming a 109-102 win over a team that had won 14 of its last 15 games.
Here are the takeaways.
Payton Pritchard was otherworldly
You’ve seen Payton Pritchard make all of the shots he made against the Hawks before.
Pritchard didn’t break out anything new — he was 13-for-23 from the floor and 6-for-11 from 3-point range. His shot diet was made up of a mix of pull-up 3-pointers out of the pick-and-roll and in transition, which he made look much easier than they really are, as well as some bulldog-determined drives to the basket and put-backs.
What makes Pritchard so dangerous, however, is nights like Friday when he pieces all of those shots together. Against the Hawks, he finished with a game-high 36 points.
“I don’t think my role changed than any other night,” Pritchard said. “Just come out being aggressive, looking to make plays for my teammates or for myself, and just make the right reads.”
Mazzulla noted that Pritchard’s impact went far beyond scoring — the 6-foot-1 guard grabbed two crucial offensive rebounds in the second half (including one that Mazzulla quipped looked like a “defensive boxout”), and he drew a controversial foul hustling after another (which we will get to shortly).
“It’s just those big-time plays for us,” Mazzulla said. “He’s not defined by scoring, so that helps us a lot when he does other things.”
Pritchard added that his goal is “just winning basketball.”
“I want to win, so obviously, you want to make a play,” Pritchard said. “You see somebody shoot the ball, and I see it coming off the rim, and I’m just fighting, try to get it, get an extra possession. Those little things like that can change the game and win a game.
“So, yeah, it’s just about the want and competitive spirit.”
Jayson Tatum played a lot
If the Celtics ever had a real minutes limit on Tatum, that is clearly gone — Tatum played 36 minutes. While he hasn’t found his shot entirely yet (8-for-24 on Friday), Tatum earned 10 trips to the free-throw line and put up 25 points to go with 12 rebounds and five assists.
While Tatum tries to get his shot on track, he still helps the offense flow smoothly as a distributor, especially with Brown sidelined for the time being.
Tatum noted that he is still rusty.
“It’s all over the place. Sometimes I’ll be dribbling the [expletive] the ball and I like mishandle,” Tatum said. “Sometimes I still have the ball but it’s just, like, damn. It’s frustrating. Obviously some of the shots and layups at the rim, just kind of moving too fast a little bit. So it’s frustrating to me.”
Tatum may be frustrated, but he’s still doing things like this when he gets Onyeka Okongwu on a switch.
Meanwhile, he can still do things like this against Dyson Daniels — spinning around one of the league’s best wing defenders and using his wide shoulders as a shield to get a shot off.
“I remember 60-some-odd games I just had to show up and watch,” Tatum said. “Remember when I couldn’t walk and when I wasn’t even running on the court yet. So, just reminded to just be thankful for just being able to do what I love again.”
Tatum knows how rare this opportunity is
A reporter asked Tatum if he considered coming back next year to knock some of the rust off, and he responded with a thoughtful answer, born from the perspective of having basketball — and the feeling of invincibility that every player eventually loses — taken away from him last May.
“A lot of it had to do with where the team was at and never wanting to take moments in a season for granted, just thinking like, ‘Oh, we’ll be good next year,’” Tatum said. “I’ve been fortunate to be on a lot of really good teams, and you never want to take for granted opportunities to be on a team that’s contending for a championship.
Tatum said he felt the pull of the “little kid inside,” who missed playing the game, but he still gave the possibility of sitting out the season consideration, even after he was cleared.
“There was a lot of people I talked to to make the decision, knowing that I wasn’t going to be perfect when I first came on the floor, but showing my teammates that I was willing to fight through it and give it my all,” he said.
“And even though I wouldn’t be as in-rhythm or in condition at first — you knew it was going to take some time — I wanted to be out there with them, and I was going to do whatever it took.”
Jordan Walsh got some run for the first time in a while
With Jaylen Brown sidelined, the Celtics dipped deep into their wing rotation, giving Walsh real minutes for the first time since March 12, when he played 12 minutes against the Thunder.
Walsh delivered on the defensive end in particular, blocking three shots and giving the Celtics a more versatile defensive look overall. He also finished with five points, which included a well-timed back cut for a dunk when a Tatum-Derrick White pick-and-roll drew his defender into the main action.
Mazzulla said there is “still a level of trust,” even when Walsh isn’t playing.
“If you can help us win, you’re going to play,” Mazzulla said. “And even when he wasn’t playing, I still had a level of trust that when he’s out there, he’s going to put us in position to win, and I thought he did that tonight.”
The Celtics benefited from a controversial call
Celtics players and fans have been enraged by the way the team has been officiated this season, so in the interest of fairness, it bears noting that the Celtics benefited enormously from a somewhat controversial call down the stretch.
With two minutes left and the Celtics ice-cold and clinging to a four-point lead, Sam Hauser missed a 3-pointer.
The miss caromed off to Jalen Johnson, who started what appeared to be a fast break the other way, but a whistle brought the play to a halt. Under the basket, Payton Pritchard and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were tangled on the ground, and the latter was called for a foul.
The miss caromed off to Jalen Johnson, who started what appeared to be a fast break the other way, but a whistle brought the play to a halt. Under the basket, Payton Pritchard and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were tangled on the ground, and the latter was called for a foul.
The Hawks were livid, and Alexander-Walker stormed over to official JB DeRosa, claiming that DeRosa hadn’t actually seen the play.
A closer examination suggests he had a case, since you can see DeRosa not looking at the foul as it unfolds.
On the other hand, Alexander-Walker did appear to run into Pritchard. Whether it was enough to send Pritchard flying is another question, but contact was made to Pritchard from behind.
Jaylen Brown is day-to-day
Mazzulla was asked directly what the concern level is and whether Brown could be available on Sunday, and he responded simply that Brown — who is dealing with Achilles tendinitis — is “day-to-day.”
It seems unlikely that Mazzulla’s clipped answer will assuage the concerns of Celtics fans who are tired of seeing the word “Achilles” on an injury report.
What’s next
The Celtics will now embark on a four-game road trip, starting with the Hornets on Sunday, who have won 13 of their last 16 games. On Monday, they will face the Hawks again before contests against the Heat and Bucks before they return to TD Garden.
Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
