Payton Pritchard's impact highlighted in win over Hawks

When looking over the box score from the Celtics’ 109–102 win over the Atlanta Hawks, one line in particular jumps off the page: Payton Pritchard’s 36 points on 13-of-23 shooting (56.5%), 6-of-11 from three (54.5%), and a perfect 4-of-4 at the line.

His 36 points off the bench were double the total of Atlanta’s entire second unit (18).

But the scoring only tells part of the story.

Box-score plus-minus doesn’t always capture the full picture, given how much nuance goes into it. In Pritchard’s case, though, it felt accurate Friday night. He finished a game-high +26 in a game the Celtics won by seven after trailing by as many as 16.

Two plays, Joe Mazzulla said, perfectly illustrated Pritchard’s impact.

The first came with 3:15 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Celtics holding a four-point lead. Pritchard crashed in from the corner, got inside position, and boxed out Nickeil Alexander-Walker to secure an offensive rebound. The extra possession led to a trip to the free-throw line for Jayson Tatum, who knocked down both to push the lead to six.

The second came with two minutes left, and Boston again up by four. Derrick White launched a 30-foot pull-up that rimmed out, but the moment White began to rise, Pritchard — standing near the logo — sprinted toward the rim to crash the glass. This time, he drew a foul on Alexander-Walker, stopping a potential transition opportunity for Atlanta and giving the Celtics the ball right back.

“Those are just big-time plays. The points are one thing, but I thought the ball handling, handling the pressure, the offensive rebounding,” Mazzulla said. “He’s not defined by scoring, so that helps us a lot when he does other things.”

It’s easy to get caught up in Pritchard’s scoring. Since moving to the bench after the Anfernee Simons trade in early February, no reserve has scored more points (380) or made more shots (142) than Pritchard. He also has more 25-point games off the bench this season (seven) than any player in the NBA, and he’s only played 22 games in that role.

But the impact from the reigning Sixth Man of the Year goes far beyond just his scoring. And the key plays he made down the stretch are a good reminder of that.

“It’s just winning basketball. I wanted to win it,” Pritchard said. “Obviously, you want to make a play, and you see somebody shoot the ball, and I see it coming off the rim, and I’m just fighting. Trying to get in, get an extra possession. Those little things like that can change the game and win a game. So, it’s just about the want and competitive spirit.”

Lost in the scoring will be his seven rebounds (third-most on the team), three of which were offensive (tied for the team lead). Despite being the smallest player on the floor, he consistently finds ways to make an impact on the glass while also creating for others with his ability to get to his spots in the paint — a reflection of the aggressive mindset he plays with.

“Aggressive mindset just means that you are out-competing your opponent,” Pritchard said. “That can mean defensively, offensively, on the rebounds. There are a lot of different ways to affect the game.”

Of course, the scoring is still a vital part of what he provides. And this season, when the Celtics have needed him to step up and carry more of the offensive load, he’s done exactly that.

In 62 games without Tatum this season, he has averaged 16.8 points (45.7% FG, 36.1% 3PT), 5.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds. In eight games without Jaylen Brown, he has averaged 25.1 points (47.5% FG, 46.3% 3PT), 7.3 assists, and 4.9 rebounds. And in three games without Derrick White, he has averaged 29.3 points (54.0% FG, 45.2% 3PT), 3.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.

The scoring grabs the spotlight — and for good reason — but it’s the rest of Pritchard’s game, often overlooked, that helps win games, as Friday night showed.