Well… that was a basketball game.
The Celtics’ top six all sat for Friday’s penultimate regular season contest against the Charlotte Hornets, which meant it was time for the Bus 1 Boys to do their thing.
While a majority of Boston’s players in this contest were not regular rotational guys, we did get an extended look at Payton Pritchard as the primary ball handler. Pritchard drew a double team and found Luke Kornet for the Celtics’ first bucket, then proceeded to rack up his team’s next seven points, scoring on all three levels.
It was also nice to see Jaden Springer be aggressive off the bounce, as he got into the box score early. At 21 years old, Springer’s skills are still quite raw, but his athleticism is impossible to ignore every time he steps on the court. Speaking of talented young players, fans got an early look at Jordan Walsh in this contest as well, as Boston’s rookie drilled his first NBA three.
Vasilije Micić has been a bit of a late-season revelation for Charlotte, and he continued to impress early in this contest alongside rookie Brandon Miller.
Pritchard was by far the best player on the floor over the opening 12 minutes. The 6’1 guard had 13 points and five dimes, while Kornet contributed 10 points as the Celtics led 30-24.
Payton Pritchard’s 13-point 1st quarter tonight was the highest-scoring opening frame of his career.
— Celtics Stats (@celtics_stats) April 13, 2024
Oshae Brissett flashed his trademark hustle on the offensive glass to open the second quarter, battling for a tough rebound which resulted in an easy layup. The athletic wing proceeded to struggle a bit at the free throw line over the next few possessions, but he stuck with it and was rewarded with an easy putback layup.
JD Davison and Neemias Queta have been dominating in the G-League for the Maine Celtics, and they flashed some of that established rapport via a nice pick-and-roll which resulted in a Queta layup.
Pritchard checked back in and immediately picked up where he left off, putting Charlotte in the spin cycle in transition before finding Queta for the jam. Payton proceeded to hit a pair of triples, flashing every tool in the kit.
Simple execution and defensive intensity methodically opened up a massive 69-43 lead for Boston at the half. Pritchard poured in 23 of those to go along with 9 assists, as the Hornets simply had no answer for him.
That was enough for Steve Clifford to pull his core players, rolling with a new lineup to open the second half. Just like the beginning of the game, Springer made an impact on both ends of the floor, generating his own fast break slam off the steal.
Pritchard continued to give Charlotte headaches, getting virtually anything he wanted both in transition and out of half-court sets. The remainder of the third-quarter was a track meet, as the Celtics simply continued to run their offense and keep the Hornets at bay. With 12 minutes left to play, Boston led 94-76, and Pritchard had already racked up a career-high 31 points.
That would be it for Payton, who checked out for the last time with 31 and 11. Mazzulla opted to run the double-big lineup featuring Queta and Kornet for the second stint of the night, and they linked up once again for a nice bucket.
It wasn’t the most efficient night for Hauser, but he continued to put up shots, racking up 16 points with four triples. Drew Peterson went on a little run, hitting a pair of threes before capping off a nice Davison dime with a dunk.
Both sides remained in cruise control for the rest of the contest, with the Celtics ultimately winning 131-98, their 63rd victory of the season.
Next up, the Celtics host the Washington Wizards for their final game of the regular season on Sunday, April 14 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
