The Boston Celtics are trying to finish the season strong. They want to head into the playoffs with as much momentum as possible, even if they can't really improve their seeding.
Boston is pretty much locked into the second spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Cleveland is too far ahead to catch and the Knicks are too far behind to catch them for second.
That means that the final few games are about playing their best basketball and keeping everyone healthy. Those are the two key things that Boston will be focusing on.
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The Celtics need to have their starting lineup healthy to get out of the East. The Eastern Conference is much better than it was a year ago, so the Celtics have to have those guys healthy in order to repeat as champions.
They also need to have their best bench player healthy. Payton Pritchard is one of the leading candidates for Sixth Man of the Year and has become a key part of what the Celtics want to do offensively.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, Pritchard was downgraded ahead of their matchup with the Spurs. He is now listed as questionable due to left hip flexor tightness.
Pritchard does things off the bench that make the Celtics an elite team. Having him available for the playoffs is way more important than having him available for these last handful of regular season games.
Boston also wants to see if Pritchard might be able to take over the starting point guard duties because they are considering trading Jrue Holiday to lessen their luxury tax bill.
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If Boston decides to rest some of their starters down the stretch, Pritchard could see some starting minutes as well. They would like to make sure his hip is good to go.
Boston loves what Pritchard does for them, especially for the price that they are paying him. His contract has turned into one of the best contracts in the entire league.
Pritchard is averaging 14.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.
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