Throughout the season, there are going to be games the Celtics will need their role players to win for them.
Friday night was one of those games.
Already without Kristaps Porzingis, who missed his third consecutive game with a calf strain, Jayson Tatum was ejected from the game after picking up his second technical foul of the night for disputing a foul call with crew chief Bill Kennedy.
Without their two leaders in clutch points this season in Tatum and Porzingis, the Celtics needed some help and someone to step up as they entered the fourth quarter trailing by two.
That help came in the form of Al Horford and Payton Pritchard.
Pritchard scored a team-high 10 points in the fourth quarter, coming up with some timely buckets to put the Celtics ahead. The 25-year-old also grabbed a rebound and had an assist as he finished the fourth quarter a +12, scoring or assisting on four of Boston's eight made fourth quarter buckets.
"That's the guy. That's Payton," head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame.
"That's why he's so competitive. That's why he does what he does. And that's why no matter what happens, you can always rely on him. And so what he did tonight is exactly what I expect from him every time his name is called. Made the right play, competed on the defensive end, pick-up points were great, ball pressure was good, got in there for rebounding, and scored at different levels, whether it was in the paint, whether it was threes, whether it was a cut. That's him."
All 10 of Pritchard's points on the night came in the fourth quarter, as he finished with 10 points, five assists, two rebounds, and a steal in a little over 23 minutes of action.
Horford also stepped up big, continuing to make plays whenever the Celtics need it, no matter what role he is in.
The 37-year-old played the entirety of the fourth quarter, making big play after big play, headlined by a double-block on Tobias Harris, followed by a drive-and-kick assist on a Jrue Holiday three on the other end.
It was also Horford's deuce that gave the Celtics the lead with 2:09 to go, a lead the C's never surrendered.
The 16-year vet concluded the night with 20 points on 7-of-9 (77.8%) shooting, six boards, three assists, a steal, and two blocks, reaffirming his crucial role in Boston's success, stepping up big whenever and however he is needed.
"I feel like we had a choice," Horford said when reflecting on the moment Tatum was ejected postgame. "At that point in time, we could've folded or found an excuse. I feel like our group, we rallied together and understood that we just needed to keep competing and find a way to win. We were in a grind. Those guys are playing inspired basketball. We needed to find a way."
The Celtics have found many different ways to win this season. A lot of those wins have hinged on the star power Boston possesses. However, Friday night was different - The Celtics won because of the collective efforts of their role players.
"I thought everybody stepped up. That's just kinda the team we have," Mazzulla said postgame. "Credit to them. I thought they did a great job executing on both ends of the floor."
