BOSTON – Payton Pritchard and Derrick White were mostly glued guys between the Boston Celtics.
However, with Starters’ Jason Tatum, Jule Holiday and Christap Porzingis all playing against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night, the duo have taken the game to a level they haven’t seen in NBA history.
Pritchard scored a career-high 43 points, had a career-high 10 3-pointers, leading the short-handed Celtics past the Portland Trail Blazers 128-118.
White added career-highs with 41 points and nine threes, earning the first Celtics duo to score more than 40 points in the same game, and the first duo in league history with nine or more three-pointers each in the game.
Also, Pritchard scored 10 rebounds and became the first player in NBA history with at least 40 points, 10 3 pointers and 10 rebounds in the regulated game. Damien Lillard and James Harden did that in the overtime game.
“I think the work I have the most confidence over time,” Pritchard said. “Then I can now be confident in me so that my teammates and coaches can have this evening. …It’s just built, built, and at the end you see it on a night like this. ”
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Even sweeter? The Oregon native did that to the team he grew up watching.
“It’s always fun to play the Blazers,” Pritchard said.
White said hitting three consecutive threes in the second quarter made him go.
“I was credited to my teammates who put me in a good position and I was able to get heated,” he said.
Celtics coach Joe Matzla said what Pritchard and White did in the evening was proof of their work ethic.
“They were incredible,” Mazra said. “These two ways of playing show a lot about who they are. …We are lucky to have them and it was a lot of fun seeing them do. ”
Pritchard added five assists, making him the only person out of one of the three players (Lillard, Harden) to have at least 40 points, 10 or more rebounds, 3 seconds and 5 or more assists coming out of the bench.
In a video from the game’s locker room posted by the Celtics, the team celebrated White’s night by showering him with water. The Pritchard remained dry during the clip. But he said it was because he was still dry.
“When I was interviewing, they took me to court,” Pritchard said. “I’ve already threw a lot of water at me. It was cold. We wanted to get the D-White too. He had a great night too. ”
By Kyle Hightower
