With the Celtics winding down their regular season, there will be plenty more opportunities for their bench players. That was the case Sunday against the Wizards with three starters sitting out. Sam Hauser took that opportunity to score a career-high 30 points with 10 3-pointers, though he had to leave the game early because of an injury.
Elsewhere, as the Celtics blew out the Wizards, Payton Pritchard poured in his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 assists. He was everywhere throughout the game to set up his teammates, drawing praise from C’s coach Joe Mazzulla.
Fanatics Sportsbook
10X$100 BONUS BET
BET MATCH BONUS
Must be 21+. GAMBLING PROBLEM? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, KY ,MD, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV); (888) 789-7777 or ccpg.org (CT); 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA); (800) 327-5050 or gamblinghelpline.org (MA), mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1800gambler.net (WV)
“I think Payton really, amongst our season, has been kind of underrated and the growth that he’s had as a player,” Mazzulla said, via CLNS Media. “His ability to play with the ball, his ability to play without the ball. He’s finding ways without scoring to highly impact the game, whether it’s his assists or with his defense or his rebounding.”
Pritchard has waited for his opportunity over the past few seasons. He was a pleasant surprise during his rookie campaign after four years at Oregon. But in the last two seasons, Pritchard hasn’t been able to get a consistent rotation spot because of the guards in front of him. But after Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon were dealt over the offseason, it offered Pritchard to perfect chance to earn his spot.
He’s made the most of his opportunity thus far, averaging career-highs with 8.0 points and 2.7 assists in 20.5 minutes per game. Just one year ago, Pritchard was vocal about wanting to be moved at the deadline. Instead, the C’s stuck with him and signed him to a four-year extension to keep him long-term.
Pritchard can now look to make an impact in the playoffs. But first, he should get more chances in the regular season as the Celtics rest most of their starters down the stretch.
“There’s so many players that you can look at on our team that can get highlighted constantly for the things that they do,” Al Horford said. “Payton’s been just very mature, but also I feel like he goes kind of under-the-radar with some of the things that he does. I personally think it’s probably a good thing. He’ll start coming up in big moments — people will see it, people will feel it.”
- Highly anticipated sportsbooks like BetMGM Massachusetts, along with Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts have been live since Spring of 2023. New players can use promo codes like the FanDuel Massachusetts promo code and the DraftKings Massachusetts promo.
