MILWAUKEE — While the Celtics came back against the Bucks with a strong second half, they needed to get to halftime with a manageable deficit first. The Bucks came out swinging, courtesy of their 40-point first quarter as a desperate team was looking to knock off the reigning champs.
There were a few times where the Bucks threatened to blow the game open in the second quarter. That‘s when C’s guard Payton Pritchard stepped up in a big way. So while Pritchard did nearly all his damage early, those 17 first-half points he scored were crucial in the Celtics’ win over the Bucks on Sunday at Fiserv Forum. It allowed the C’s to enter halftime with an 11-point deficit, which they quickly erased to start the third quarter.
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“Payton has been excellent this year,” Jaylen Brown said. “He‘s played as good as anybody out there, the way that he‘s shooting the ball, the way he‘s been making plays. Payton has been incredible, and his growth has been incredible to watch. Payton has been making those steps and he’s a big-time player.”
All Pritchard has done this year is score — and prove Bucks coach Doc Rivers correct. Rivers has praised the guard twice already this young season, including after the first time the teams met and Pritchard scored a season-high 28 points. Pritchard‘s fingerprints were all over the victory, shooting 6-for-10 from the field and a blistering 5-for-8 from 3. He scored a lone free throw in the second half, but the rest of the C’s roster took care of the win from there.
Pritchard has been a well-liked figure in the Celtics locker room since he was picked 26th overall in the 2020 draft. There‘s a good reason for that as his work ethic has been cited as one of the main reasons he’s earned this opportunity. And Pritchard has been feasting with all these added opportunities as Sunday was just his latest impressive game.
“I feel like he kind of does it by himself,” Jrue Holiday said. “He makes plays himself. He knows how to play well off people. He can get to the paint and score. He can score from 3. He can make it from half-court. Very efficient player. Somebody you love to play with.”
