Chauncey Billups spent 17 years in the NBA and has been coaching for the last five. He’s been part of over 1,500 NBA games. Yet, even with all that experience, he had never witnessed anything quite like what Derrick White and Payton Pritchard did on Wednesday night.
“I haven’t seen that, man. I haven’t been a part of a game like that. I’ve seen some guys really get hot, catch fire, but two guys like that, I haven’t seen it,” Billups said. “I’d be interested to know how many times two guys made nine threes in a game-–if it’s ever happened.”
It hadn’t. Not once in the 45-plus years since the three-point line was introduced had two teammates made nine three-pointers apiece.
On the night, Pritchard (10) and White (9) combined for 19 three-pointers, the most ever by a pair of teammates in a single game, and the historic night didn’t stop there.
Both players set career highs: Pritchard with 43 points on 14-of-20 shooting (including 10-of-16 from beyond the arc) and White with 41 points on 14-of-26 shooting (9-of-17 from three). Together, they became the first pair of Celtics teammates to each score 40 points in the same game in the franchise’s 79-year history.
“It’s unbelievable. I mean, just the talent that we have and the history of this franchise. I’m watching the documentary [HBO/Max’s ‘Celtics City’]. I can’t wait for the next episode, just to hear more about the history and just the players who have been through this organization,” White said on putting his name in the Celtics’ history books. “To be a part of that is unbelievable. I’m truly thankful and grateful.”
The word “unbelievable” echoed throughout the night as White, Pritchard, and teammate Al Horford reflected on the historic performance. And the deeper you look into it, the more fitting that word becomes.
“That kind of feat, it’s unbelievable. It really is,” said Horford. “And the way that they did it was even more impressive.”
Pritchard’s 43 points set a new record for the most ever scored by a Celtic off the bench in regulation. The only higher mark was set by Larry Bird, who dropped 47 points in an overtime game against the Bucks in 1985. Pritchard joins Bird and Todd Day (41 points in 1995) as the only players in franchise history to score 40 or more points off the bench.
By adding 10 rebounds and five assists, he also became the first player in NBA history to score 40 points, grab 10 rebounds, and make 10 threes in a regulation game. Damian Lillard and James Harden have both done it in overtime games.
There is more. Pritchard became just the fourth Celtic to make at least 10 threes in a game, alongside Marcus Smart (11), Jaylen Brown (10), and Sam Hauser (10). He’s the first to accomplish this milestone as a reserve and only the ninth bench player in NBA history to do so.
To Horford’s point about how “they did it,” Pritchard could have easily chased after more records. He entered the fourth quarter with 10 made threes and had a chance to break Smart’s franchise record of 11. Instead, he played within the flow of the game, attempting just one three in the final 12 minutes despite being on the floor for the entire quarter.
“The biggest thing was just about getting the W,” said Pritchard. “They made a little push, so I wasn’t gonna force a look that wasn’t there. That’s disrespectful to the game, disrespectful to my teammates.”
White, who poured in 12 points in the final quarter to help fend off the Trail Blazers, had no issue with Pritchard stealing the spotlight on his career night.
“It feels great. I’m super happy for Payton,” White said. “He probably could’ve took more shots. I took six more than him. He was unbelievable. He is someone who works so hard and just plays the right way every time out there. So it’s great to have that night along with him, and just kind of both of us just trying to play the right way and do what it takes to win.”
Wednesday night served as a reminder of just how special this Celtics team is. And for those ready to brush it off as just a win against the Trail Blazers, Portland entered the night with a 16-5 record over their last 21 games, the third-best mark in the Western Conference and sixth-best in the league during that stretch. They had won four of the five games of their current road trip.
This was a test for the Celtics, who were without Jayson Tatum (shoulder), Jrue Holiday (mallet finger), and Kristaps Porzingis (illness). Even with Jaylen Brown struggling to score offensively, the Celtics pulled out a win thanks to their incredible depth. White and Pritchard became the second Celtics duo in the last three games to combine for 80+ points, joining Tatum and Brown, who combined for 83 on Friday night—a ridiculous feat in itself.
“They were tremendous,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I think with guys out and playing against a really good Portland team, we were going to need to have guys step up, and the way those two played showed a lot about who they are. They do a lot of the dirty stuff when we’re fully healthy. They do a lot of things for the team, and to have a night like this where those two can show what they are capable of was big for us. So we’re lucky to have them, and it was a lot of fun to watch them do that.”
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