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Payton Pritchard is the Celtics ‘Name to Know’ Player of the Game in Friday’s loss vs. Raptors

The Celtics finished off their preseason road trip on a tough note Friday night as their deep reserves could not hold onto a 27-point lead in a 107-105 loss to the Raptors. Boston sat out three expected starters for the matchup (Jaylen Brown. Derrick White, Sam Hauser) in the regular season but they did get a boost from one guard making his preseason debut.

Friday’s night’s “Name to Know” Player of the Game goes to Payton Pritchard. The Name to Know Player of the Game is sponsored by John’s Sewer and Drain Cleaning, the Name to Know when your drains don’t flow.

Pritchard finished with a team-high 19 points in the setback while also adding four rebounds and three assists in his 26 minutes before sitting out the entire fourth quarter of the defeat. The point guard did damage from inside and out, going 7-of-17 from the field and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc in his likely new role as starting guard this season alongside Derrick White. It was evident the team missed his ball handling and shot creation late as the third unit blew a double-digit edge thanks to 28 team turnovers.

Pritchard will be thrust into a vital role for the Celtics offense this season in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury and the departure of Jrue Holiday via trade. Last season’s 6th Man of the Year will see a big boost in minutes this year and looked ready to take on the heavier workload by navigating a tough Raptors defense well despite missing a number of key offensive weapons around him.

Anfernee Simons is another option to start in Boston’s backcourt but the Celtics’ offensive flow looked better with Pritchard running the ship on Friday night, a sign of his continuity in Joe Mazzulla’s system over the past few seasons. The next two preseason games should tell the story on where that duo stands in the Celtics hierarchy as Boston returns to action at TD Garden against the Cavaliers on Friday night.

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