Heat – Celtics. It was the shock of the night. The remake of the last Eastern Conference Finals. In other words, a game for the grown-ups. But in the end, it was a little one who played the role of the hero. Boston rookie Payton Pritchard made the talk again, this time scoring the game winner at the last second. GOAT!
The beautiful story of Payton Pritchard continues. Selected in 26th position in the 2020 Draft and already the darling of all Boston after his exciting start to the season, the University of Oregon-trained rookie point guard gave the Celtics their sixth win of the season, the third in a row, making the diff at the best time. We are remaking the scene for you. At 105-105, while all eyes are naturally on Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, it’s Marcus Smart who has the puff in his hands. Penetrating against Duncan Robinson before meeting Bam Adebayo in the racket, Smart releases a complicated lay-up and collapses hoping for the fault in the purest style of Marcus Smart, the whistle does not arrive but Payton Pritchard, he arrives. In the right place at the right time, he plays the opportunist and shows politeness to everyone. After having perfectly anticipated the failure of his friend, the youngster takes the rebound before concluding with the board, calm. 107-105 for Boston, 0.2 seconds on the clock, Double P can lift their arms, the Heat won’t recover. Jimmy Butler’s alley-oop towards Bam Adebayo gives nothing behind, the C’s prevail on the floor of Miami, which now has a negative record (three wins, four losses).
Payton Pritchard hits a game-winning bucket to beat the Heat. pic.twitter.com/N7TFL4KN31
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) January 7, 2021
Deprived of Kemba Walker and now playing without Gordon Hayward, the Celtics had some struggles in attack at the start of the season and needed a player who step-up behind the two young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Payton Pritchard is that guy. Only 22 years old, 1m85, rookie, not necessarily the kind of guy you expect but yet he contributes to the success of his team night after night. Tonight, while veteran Jeff Teague was once again absent, he did not explode like against the Raptors two days ago, against whom he scored 23 points with 8 caviars off the bench. He rather struggled offensively (3/10 shooting, 0/4 from distance), except that he always finds a way to help his people (6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists against Miami). His energy, his fighting spirit, his maturity associated with the ardor of youth make him an element that counts today in Boston. Recently, Jaylen Brown had not hesitated to shower him with praise after his perfs during the Celtics’ double confrontation against the Pacers. Last night, the kid added an extra line to his kiffy start to the season, and it’s all Boston who is smiling.
The evening started with two teams knee to the ground following the events in Washington, it ended with a game winner Payton Pritchard and a victory for Boston in the snatch. Welcome to 2021.
