The Celtics ended their outstanding regular season with a 64-18 record and leading the NBA as they head into the Playoffs. However, one of the most impressive qualities came this Sunday, when they decided to rest their entire starting lineup and proved to have roster depth as they beat the Wizards 132-122.
Payton Pritchard led the charge this weekend and scored a career-high 38 points, alongside his 12 assists and 9 rebounds. His teammates Svi Mykhailiuk and Sam Houser contributed with 26 and 16 points respectively.
This was almost a dejavú from last year’s final regular-season contest, back when the point guard produced a triple-double with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. That performance earned him a place next to Larry Bird and John Havlicek as the only Boston athletes with at least 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a single match.
Shout-out to Payton Pritchard ☘️
Career-high 38 points on 15-21 shooting to go with 12 assists and nine rebounds. The only Celtics player this season to play in all 82 games. pic.twitter.com/5fy7yxPKxV
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) April 15, 2024
The 26-year-old was close to accomplishing this feat once again, as he picked up his ninth rebounds with only 5 minutes left in the match. “If it came, I’ll take it. But I got one last year,” Payton shared. “It wasn’t like I had pressure to get my first triple-double. I’m a pretty good rebounder. So if I get the minutes, I think I’ll be able to get another triple-double.”
The Celtics have now completed their 15th campaign in franchise history with 60 wins or more, yet haven’t conquered the championship since 2008. Despite their impressive season last year, the club is still hurting the fact that they lost Game 7 at home against the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals last spring.
“The most important thing getting into a situation is having no expectations,” coach Joe Mazzulla said about the upcoming NBA Playoffs. “If you study teams that have even been fortunate enough, and if we’re fortunate enough to get to a Finals, if not win it, the road there is always forgotten by the result of winning.”
On the other side, the Washington squad just finished their third-consecutive campaign and now 5th in the last six years without qualifying for the postseason. In their final game, which meant their sixth-straight loss, Eugene Omoruyi also posted a career-best 26 points, alongside Jared Butler’s 22.
“I think we developed a lot of resilience and we developed a competitive atmosphere, and we learned about the process; what it takes to be a really good team,” said Brian Keefe, Wizards interim coach. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but I think we started laying the foundation for that.”
NBA experts explain why the Boston squad possess more roster depth this season than the year before
Even though Pritchard participated in all 82 regular season matches this year, he wasn’t a usual player in the starting lineup. However, when given the chance, he proved he could shine as bright as any other Boston star.
Just last night, he hit 14 points in the final 2:19 of the starting half, and dropped all four of his attempts from beyond the arc to power his team into a 69-59 lead.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps is convinced that besides Payton, coach Mazzulla has other hidden gems up his sleeve. “The world will get to know Sam Hauser,” he said when giving his playoff predictions. “Much has been made of Boston’s lack of depth this season, but that’s in part because Hauser, one of the league’s best 3-point shooters, has been completely overlooked.
“The 26-year-old shot over 43% from 3-point range on more than five attempts per game this season as coach Joe Mazzulla’s preferred seventh man after the five starters and top reserve Al Horford. If the Celtics have the kind of playoff run they are expecting, Hauser will play a big part in it and likely will have several big shooting performances.”
