Kendrick Perkins Claims This Celtic ‘Put World On Notice’ In Bucks Matchup
The Celtics have been careful with their key players and managed their loads in the final stretch of the regular season, and Payton Pritchard stepped up when he got those extended minutes.
Jrue Holiday did not play in Boston’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden on Wednesday due to a right AC joint sprain. The C’s withstood a fourth-quarter comeback thanks to key plays from Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard, who scored 19 points in 31 minutes off the bench.
This season was pivotal for Pritchard following two seasons of trade rumors and reported complaints about a lack of playing time. He’s earned his minutes this season and is a trusted part of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation, a fact a national audience witnessed.
“(Wednesday) night, Payton Pritchard put the world on notice,” Kendrick Perkins said on ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Thursday, per Boston.com’s Faith Pinnow. “This is a guy that was out of the rotation last postseason and without him, they don’t win that basketball game.”
Pritchard is averaging a career-best of 8.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game following Wednesday’s win. Sam Hauser warned the league before the season that the fourth-year guard was “out for blood,” and Celtics fans experienced it night in and night out.
“What he brought from a tenacity standpoint,” Perkins said, “getting the crowd fired up along with getting buckets. This young man has been getting buckets since he’s been at Oregon. This is a bright spot for the Boston Celtics. No Jrue Holiday, all of a sudden this man comes in, has 19 points off the bench.”
Mazzulla kept a tight rotation since Hauser went down with a left ankle sprain, and he could continue to rely on Pritchard as other stars continue to manage their injuries in preparation for the postseason.