The Boston Celtics were without their biggest star, Jayson Tatum, on Wednesday night but it didn’t matter because they still came out on top over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Multiple players had big games but none were bigger than Payton Pritchard’s, because he scored 43 points off the bench.
On Thursday’s “Get Up,” Brian Windhorst said Pritchard is a prime example of why the Celtics will be so hard to beat in the playoffs.
He stated that the team is lucky to have a bench player who can score so much and that means opponents will simply have no rest when going up against Boston.
"Payton Pritchard is the reason why the Celtics are going to be so hard to beat." 😤
—@windhorstESPN on the Celtics' sixth man dropping 40 points in a win over the Trailblazers pic.twitter.com/lpUy8sLtLp
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 6, 2025
Pritchard’s big game was almost unbelievable but it was even more impressive because he wasn’t the only Boston player to score over 40 points, as Derrick White put up 41.
To Windhorst’s point, Pritchard shows how deep the team is.
If the Celtics have someone coming off the bench and scoring like this, other teams might not have a chance.
Pritchard’s name has been in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year all season long and this latest game will only make him a better candidate for that prize.
But this game also pleases Boston fans who want to see their team go all the way to the Finals again.
With a deep bench and several players who are able to earn double digits, the Celtics can overpower nearly any squad.
Only two other bench players scored during Wednesday’s game but when Pritchard is playing this well, they don’t need to do a lot.
NEXT: Payton Pritchard Made NBA History On Wednesday