Payton Pritchard leads Celtics over streaking Hawks: Takeaways

Pritchard notched 36 factors in a dominant efficiency from the sphere.

Payton Pritchard was 13-for-23 from the ground and 6-for-11 from 3-point vary in Friday’s win. Barry Chin/Globe Workers

The Celtics have been with out Jaylen Brown, however Payton Pritchard and Jayson Tatum led the way in which to a win over the streaking Hawks, claiming a 109-102 win over a workforce that had gained 14 of its final 15 video games.

Listed here are the takeaways.

Payton Pritchard was otherworldly

You’ve seen Payton Pritchard make the entire photographs he made in opposition to the Hawks earlier than.

Pritchard didn’t escape something new — he was 13-for-23 from the ground and 6-for-11 from 3-point vary. His shot eating regimen was made up of a mixture of pull-up 3-pointers out of the pick-and-roll and in transition, which he made look a lot simpler than they are surely, in addition to some bulldog-determined drives to the basket and put-backs.

What makes Pritchard so harmful, nevertheless, is nights like Friday when he items all of these photographs collectively. Towards the Hawks, he completed with a game-high 36 factors.

“I don’t suppose my function modified than another night time,” Pritchard mentioned. “Simply come out being aggressive, trying to make performs for my teammates or for myself, and simply make the appropriate reads.”

Mazzulla famous that Pritchard’s influence went far past scoring — the 6-foot-1 guard grabbed two essential offensive rebounds within the second half (together with one which Mazzulla quipped seemed like a “defensive boxout”), and he drew a controversial foul hustling after one other (which we are going to get to shortly).

“It’s simply these big-time performs for us,” Mazzulla mentioned. “He’s not outlined by scoring, in order that helps us rather a lot when he does different issues.”

Pritchard added that his purpose is “simply profitable basketball.”

“I wish to win, so clearly, you wish to make a play,” Pritchard mentioned. “You see any individual shoot the ball, and I see it coming off the rim, and I’m simply preventing, attempt to get it, get an additional possession. These little issues like that may change the sport and win a recreation.

“So, yeah, it’s simply concerning the need and aggressive spirit.”

Jayson Tatum performed rather a lot

If the Celtics ever had an actual minutes restrict on Tatum, that’s clearly gone — Tatum performed 36 minutes. Whereas he hasn’t discovered his shot solely but (8-for-24 on Friday), Tatum earned 10 journeys to the free-throw line and put up 25 factors to go together with 12 rebounds and 5 assists.

Whereas Tatum tries to get his shot on observe, he nonetheless helps the offense circulate easily as a distributor, particularly with Brown sidelined in the meanwhile.

Tatum famous that he’s nonetheless rusty.

“It’s all over. Generally I’ll be dribbling the [expletive] the ball and I like mishandle,” Tatum mentioned. “Generally I nonetheless have the ball but it surely’s simply, like, rattling. It’s irritating. Clearly among the photographs and layups on the rim, simply form of transferring too quick just a little bit. So it’s irritating to me.”

Tatum could also be annoyed, however he’s nonetheless doing issues like this when he will get Onyeka Okongwu on a change.

In the meantime, he can nonetheless do issues like this in opposition to Dyson Daniels — spinning round one of many league’s finest wing defenders and utilizing his extensive shoulders as a protect to get a shot off.

“I keep in mind 60-some-odd video games I simply needed to present up and watch,” Tatum mentioned. “Keep in mind after I couldn’t stroll and after I wasn’t even operating on the court docket but. So, simply reminded to simply be grateful for simply having the ability to do what I like once more.”

Tatum is aware of how uncommon this chance is

A reporter requested Tatum if he thought-about coming again subsequent yr to knock among the rust off, and he responded with a considerate reply, born from the attitude of getting basketball — and the sensation of invincibility that each participant ultimately loses — taken away from him final Could.

“Numerous it needed to do with the place the workforce was at and by no means eager to take moments in a season as a right, simply considering like, ‘Oh, we’ll be good subsequent yr,’” Tatum mentioned. “I’ve been lucky to be on plenty of actually good groups, and also you by no means wish to take as a right alternatives to be on a workforce that’s contending for a championship.

Tatum mentioned he felt the pull of the “little child inside,” who missed taking part in the sport, however he nonetheless gave the opportunity of sitting out the season consideration, even after he was cleared.

“There was lots of people I talked to to make the choice, realizing that I wasn’t going to be good after I first got here on the ground, however displaying my teammates that I used to be keen to combat by way of it and provides it my all,” he mentioned.

“And despite the fact that I wouldn’t be as in-rhythm or in situation at first — you knew it was going to take a while — I needed to be on the market with them, and I used to be going to do no matter it took.”

Jordan Walsh acquired some run for the primary time shortly

With Jaylen Brown sidelined, the Celtics dipped deep into their wing rotation, giving Walsh actual minutes for the primary time since March 12, when he performed 12 minutes in opposition to the Thunder.

Walsh delivered on the defensive finish specifically, blocking three photographs and giving the Celtics a extra versatile defensive look total. He additionally completed with 5 factors, which included a well-timed again reduce for a dunk when a Tatum-Derrick White pick-and-roll drew his defender into the principle motion.

Mazzulla mentioned there may be “nonetheless a stage of belief,” even when Walsh isn’t taking part in.

“Should you will help us win, you’re going to play,” Mazzulla mentioned. “And even when he wasn’t taking part in, I nonetheless had a stage of belief that when he’s on the market, he’s going to place us in place to win, and I believed he did that tonight.”

The Celtics benefited from a controversial name

Celtics gamers and followers have been enraged by the way in which the workforce has been officiated this season, so within the curiosity of equity, it bears noting that the Celtics benefited enormously from a considerably controversial name 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 began what seemed to be a quick break the opposite approach, however a whistle introduced the play to a halt. Beneath the basket, Payton Pritchard and Nickeil Alexander-Walker have been tangled on the bottom, and the latter was known as for a foul.

The Hawks have been furious, and Alexander-Walker stormed over to official JB DeRosa, claiming that DeRosa hadn’t really seen the play.

A better examination suggests he had a case, since you may see DeRosa not wanting on the foul because it unfolds.

Then again, Alexander-Walker did seem to run into Pritchard. Whether or not it was sufficient to ship Pritchard flying is one other query, however contact was made to Pritchard from behind.

Jaylen Brown is day-to-day

Mazzulla was requested immediately what the priority stage is and whether or not Brown might be out there on Sunday, and he responded merely that Brown — who’s coping with Achilles tendinitis — is “day-to-day.”

It appears unlikely that Mazzulla’s clipped reply will assuage the considerations of Celtics followers who’re bored with seeing the phrase “Achilles” on an damage report.

What’s subsequent

The Celtics will now embark on a four-game highway journey, beginning with the Hornets on Sunday, who’ve gained 13 of their final 16 video games. On Monday, they may face the Hawks once more earlier than contests in opposition to the Warmth and Bucks earlier than they return to TD Backyard.