Payton Pritchard scores a career-high 31 points as Celtics rest starters and cruise past Hornets
BOSTON (AP) Payton Prichard scored a career-high 31 points and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 131-98 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
Pritchard added 11 assists for his second double-double this season and helped the Celtics avoid losing three consecutive games in a season for the first time since 2010-11.
Luke Kornet finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta both also had 16 points for Boston, which led by as many as 33 and had only six turnovers.
Pritchard will be counted on coming off the bench in the playoffs and coach Joe Mazzulla said his performance was indicative of how much he has grown and bought into his role this season.
“Just being a complete player from the standpoint of every game is going to be different," Mazzulla said. “He affects the game in many different ways. Obviously, having a consistent role for an entire season is really beneficial.”
The Celtics’ top six rotation players – Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford – all sat out with nagging ailments in what was essentially a rest night for them. Boston has already locked up the top seed in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
They likely will get another rest day Sunday when Boston concludes its regular season schedule against Washington.
That also will probably mean another start Pritchard, who's looking to appear in all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his four-year career.
“It's definitely a big accomplishment for me,” Pritchard said. “To play 82 games is tough, but through the summer, the work that I put in to get my body ready for that (helped). But also just the journey of me, last year, my second year, of times when I didn't play at all, how frustrating that is and how much that hurt at times. But that just fueled me to keep working.”
Tre Mann led the Hornets with 19 points and eight assists. Nick Smith Jr. added 15 points.
The absences gave the Celtics the opportunity to give some playing time to rookie Jordan Walsh and call up two-way players Queta, JD Davison and Drew Peterson from the G League to fill in, a night after they all played with Maine at Oklahoma City in Game 2 the G League Finals. Maine hosts Oklahoma City Blue in Portland on Sunday to crown the G League champion.
The Hornets have been eliminated from playoff contention since March 23 and played without former Celtic Grant Williams, who was listed out with a sprained right ankle, and Nick Richards (right plantar fascia).
UP NEXT
Hornets: At the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday in regular-season finale.
Celtics: Host the Wizards in their finale Sunday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Marques Bolden vs. Luke Kornet (Svi Mykhailiuk gains possession) | ||
| 11:46 | | Svi Mykhailiuk misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:42 |  | Vasilije Micic defensive rebound | ||
| 11:32 | | Brandon Miller misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:30 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 11:17 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:14 | | Marques Bolden defensive rebound | ||
| 11:00 | | +3 | Vasilije Micic makes three point pullup jump shot (Marques Bolden assists) | 3-0 |
| 10:43 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point alley-oop layup (Payton Pritchard assists) | 3-2 |
| 10:23 | | +3 | Tre Mann makes three point pullup jump shot (Marques Bolden assists) | 6-2 |
| 10:11 | | +2 | Payton Pritchard makes two point pullup jump shot | 6-4 |
| 9:54 | | Svi Mykhailiuk personal foul (Vasilije Micic draws the foul) | ||
| 9:47 | | Brandon Miller misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:45 | | Jaden Springer defensive rebound | ||
| 9:37 | | Marques Bolden blocks Jaden Springer's two point driving layup | ||
| 9:34 | | Brandon Miller defensive rebound | ||
| 9:27 | | +2 | Vasilije Micic makes two point driving layup (Tre Mann assists) | 8-4 |
| 9:10 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Sam Hauser assists) | 8-7 |
| 8:46 | | Tre Mann misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:43 | | Jaden Springer defensive rebound | ||
| 8:34 | | Payton Pritchard turnover (bad pass) (Marques Bolden steals) | ||
| 8:26 | | Vasilije Micic turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 8:13 | | Vasilije Micic personal foul (Jaden Springer draws the foul) | ||
| 8:06 | | +2 | Payton Pritchard makes two point driving layup | 8-9 |
| 7:45 | | Marques Bolden misses two point bank hook shot | ||
| 7:44 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 7:32 | | Payton Pritchard misses two point driving layup | ||
| 7:29 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 7:29 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point tip dunk | 8-11 |
| 7:16 | | Luke Kornet shooting foul (Brandon Miller draws the foul) | ||
| 7:16 | | +1 | Brandon Miller makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 9-11 |
| 7:16 | | +1 | Brandon Miller makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 10-11 |
| 6:58 | | +2 | Jaden Springer makes two point driving floating jump shot | 10-13 |
| 6:46 | | Marques Bolden offensive foul (Svi Mykhailiuk draws the foul) | ||
| 6:46 | | Marques Bolden turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 6:46 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:40 | | Svi Mykhailiuk misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:38 | | Miles Bridges defensive rebound | ||
| 6:24 | | +2 | Miles Bridges makes two point stepback jump shot | 12-13 |
| 6:08 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:06 | | Tre Mann defensive rebound | ||
| 6:01 | | +2 | Brandon Miller makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Vasilije Micic assists) | 14-13 |
| 5:44 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point alley-oop layup (Payton Pritchard assists) | 14-15 |
| 5:27 | | +2 | Miles Bridges makes two point driving hook shot (Vasilije Micic assists) | 16-15 |
| 5:17 | | +2 | Payton Pritchard makes two point pullup jump shot | 16-17 |
| 5:00 | | Vasilije Micic turnover (bad pass) (Svi Mykhailiuk steals) | ||
| 4:55 | | Marques Bolden blocks Luke Kornet's two point running layup | ||
| 4:55 | | Hornets defensive rebound | ||
| 4:41 | | +3 | Brandon Miller makes three point pullup jump shot (Vasilije Micic assists) | 19-17 |
| 4:28 | | +2 | Payton Pritchard makes two point driving layup | 19-19 |
| 4:22 | | Jordan Walsh personal foul (Vasilije Micic draws the foul) | ||
| 4:08 | | JT Thor misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 4:06 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 3:58 | | Oshae Brissett misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:57 | | Oshae Brissett offensive rebound | ||
| 3:55 | | Oshae Brissett misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:52 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 3:52 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point tip dunk | 19-21 |
| 3:35 | | Nick Smith Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Oshae Brissett steals) | ||
| 3:30 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point running layup (Payton Pritchard assists) | 19-23 |
| 3:29 | | Hornets 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:18 | | Davis Bertans misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:15 | | Oshae Brissett defensive rebound | ||
| 2:57 | | Aleksej Pokusevski blocks Svi Mykhailiuk's two point driving layup | ||
| 2:54 | | Xavier Tillman offensive rebound | ||
| 2:53 | | Xavier Tillman misses two point hook shot | ||
| 2:51 | | JT Thor defensive rebound | ||
| 2:41 | | Vasilije Micic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:39 | | Oshae Brissett defensive rebound | ||
| 2:29 | | Nick Smith Jr. personal foul (Payton Pritchard draws the foul) | ||
| 2:23 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:22 | | Hornets defensive rebound | ||
| 2:04 | | Aleksej Pokusevski misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:00 | | Xavier Tillman defensive rebound | ||
| 1:50 | | +3 | Jordan Walsh makes three point jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 19-26 |
| 1:38 | | Aleksej Pokusevski misses two point jump shot | ||
| 1:35 | | Payton Pritchard defensive rebound | ||
| 1:24 | | +2 | Oshae Brissett makes two point cutting layup (Payton Pritchard assists) | 19-28 |
| 1:09 | | +2 | Tre Mann makes two point stepback jump shot | 21-28 |
| 0:59 | | +2 | Payton Pritchard makes two point pullup jump shot | 21-30 |
| 0:48 | | +3 | Aleksej Pokusevski makes three point jump shot (Tre Mann assists) | 24-30 |
| 0:32 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:29 | | Jordan Walsh offensive rebound | ||
| 0:18 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:18 | | Aleksej Pokusevski defensive rebound | ||
| 0:07 | | Oshae Brissett personal foul (Take) (Tre Mann draws the foul) | ||
| 0:03 | | Aleksej Pokusevski misses two point jump shot | ||
| 0:03 | | Jordan Walsh defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:39 | | Aleksej Pokusevski misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:36 | | Xavier Tillman defensive rebound | ||
| 11:25 | | Xavier Tillman offensive foul (Tre Mann draws the foul) | ||
| 11:25 | | Xavier Tillman turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 11:19 | | Davis Bertans offensive foul (Jordan Walsh draws the foul) | ||
| 11:19 | | Davis Bertans turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 11:07 | | JD Davison misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:06 | | Hornets defensive rebound | ||
| 10:55 | | Tre Mann misses two point driving layup | ||
| 10:53 | | Aleksej Pokusevski offensive rebound | ||
| 10:53 | | +2 | Aleksej Pokusevski makes two point tip dunk | 26-30 |
| 10:43 | | +2 | Sam Hauser makes two point pullup jump shot (Oshae Brissett assists) | 26-32 |
| 10:30 | | +3 | Davis Bertans makes three point bank jump shot (Tre Mann assists) | 29-32 |
| 10:08 | | Sam Hauser misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:05 | | JD Davison offensive rebound | ||
| 10:04 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:02 | | Oshae Brissett offensive rebound | ||
| 10:00 | | +2 | Oshae Brissett makes two point putback layup | 29-34 |
| 9:42 | | Tre Mann turnover (bad pass) (Xavier Tillman steals) | ||
| 9:35 | | Aleksej Pokusevski shooting foul (Oshae Brissett draws the foul) | ||
| 9:35 | | Oshae Brissett misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 9:35 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 9:35 | | Oshae Brissett misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 9:35 | | Aleksej Pokusevski defensive rebound | ||
| 9:20 | | +3 | JT Thor makes three point jump shot (Nick Smith Jr. assists) | 32-34 |
| 9:03 | | JT Thor shooting foul (Oshae Brissett draws the foul) | ||
| 9:03 | | Oshae Brissett misses regular free throw 1 of 3 | ||
| 9:03 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 9:03 | | +1 | Oshae Brissett makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 32-35 |
| 9:03 | | +1 | Oshae Brissett makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 32-36 |
| 8:50 | | Nick Smith Jr. misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:48 | | Oshae Brissett defensive rebound | ||
| 8:41 | | Sam Hauser misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:36 | | Oshae Brissett offensive rebound | ||
| 8:36 | | +2 | Oshae Brissett makes two point tip layup | 32-38 |
| 8:25 | | +3 | Aleksej Pokusevski makes three point jump shot (Davis Bertans assists) | 35-38 |
| 8:03 | | +2 | Neemias Queta makes two point cutting layup (JD Davison assists) | 35-40 |
| 7:51 | | Davis Bertans turnover (bad pass) (Jordan Walsh steals) | ||
| 7:49 | | +2 | Jordan Walsh makes two point running dunk | 35-42 |
| 7:49 | | Hornets 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:39 | | Miles Bridges misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:36 | | Jordan Walsh defensive rebound | ||
| 7:29 | | Davis Bertans personal foul (Jordan Walsh draws the foul) | ||
| 7:13 | | +2 | JD Davison makes two point pullup bank jump shot (Sam Hauser assists) | 35-44 |
| 6:59 | | Nick Smith Jr. misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:57 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 6:52 | | Aleksej Pokusevski personal foul (JD Davison draws the foul) | ||
| 6:45 | | +2 | Sam Hauser makes two point pullup jump shot (Neemias Queta assists) | 35-46 |
| 6:24 | | +3 | Nick Smith Jr. makes three point jump shot (Miles Bridges assists) | 38-46 |
| 6:04 | | +3 | Svi Mykhailiuk makes three point jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 38-49 |
| 5:47 | | Vasilije Micic turnover (bad pass) (Neemias Queta steals) | ||
| 5:40 | | +2 | Neemias Queta makes two point dunk (Payton Pritchard assists) | 38-51 |
| 5:20 | | Miles Bridges misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:18 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 5:08 | | +2 | Neemias Queta makes two point cutting dunk (Luke Kornet assists) | 38-53 |
| 5:07 | | Hornets 60 second timeout | ||
| 4:57 | | Brandon Miller misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:56 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 4:49 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:46 | | Miles Bridges defensive rebound | ||
| 4:34 | | +2 | Brandon Miller makes two point stepback jump shot | 40-53 |
| 4:13 | | Svi Mykhailiuk misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:08 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 4:08 | | Luke Kornet misses two point tip layup | ||
| 4:07 | | Miles Bridges defensive rebound | ||
| 4:02 | | Brandon Miller misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:59 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 3:44 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point stepback jump shot | 40-56 |
| 3:38 | | Luke Kornet shooting foul (Bryce McGowens draws the foul) | ||
| 3:38 | | +1 | Bryce McGowens makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 41-56 |
| 3:38 | | Bryce McGowens misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 3:38 | | Svi Mykhailiuk defensive rebound | ||
| 3:20 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:17 | | Brandon Miller defensive rebound | ||
| 3:05 | | Brandon Miller turnover (bad pass) (Payton Pritchard steals) | ||
| 2:59 | | +3 | Sam Hauser makes three point running jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 41-59 |
| 2:49 | | Payton Pritchard personal foul (Brandon Miller draws the foul) | ||
| 2:38 | | Bryce McGowens turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||