Payton Pritchard scores career-high 38 points in Celtics' 132-122 win over Wizards
BOSTON (AP) Payton Pritchard scored a career-high 38 points and the NBA-best Boston Celtics rested their entire starting lineup in a 132-122 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday in the teams’ regular-season finale.
Svi Mykhailiuk added 26 points and Sam Hauser 16 for Boston, which sat Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday along with top reserve Al Horford.
Pritchard added 12 assists with nine rebounds. In last year’s final regular-season game, the 6-foot-1 Pritchard had a triple-double with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, joining Larry Bird and John Havlicek as the only Celtics with at least 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a game.
He picked up his ninth rebound with 5:22 left in the game and played the rest of the way.
“If it came, I'll take it. But I got one last year,” he said, smiling. “It wasn't like I had pressure to get my first triple-double. I'm a pretty good rebounder. So if I get the minutes, I think I'll be able to get another triple-double.”
The Celtics (64-18) finished their 15th season in club history with 60 or more wins, the most recent in 2008 when they captured the NBA title.
Having lost Game 7 at home against Miami in the Eastern Conference finals last spring, anything less than a trip to the NBA Finals this year would very likely be viewed as a disappointment.
“The most important thing getting into a situation is having no expectations,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said of the upcoming postseason. “If you study teams that have even been fortunate enough, and if we're fortunate enough to get to a Finals, if not win it, the road there is always forgotten by the result of winning.”
The Wizards (15-67) ended their third straight season and fifth in the past six without a playoff berth. Eugene Omoruyi led them with a career-best 26 points and Jared Butler had 22 in their sixth straight loss.
“I think we developed a lot of resilience and we developed a competitive atmosphere, and we learned about the process; what it takes to be a really good team," Wizards interim coach Brian Keefe said. "We've still got a lot of work to do, but I think we started laying the foundation for that.”
Pritchard played all 82 games this season. He scored 14 points in the final 2:19 of the opening half, connecting on all four of his 3-point attempts to give Boston a 69-59 halftime edge.
At halftime, the Celtics honored TV play-by-play announcer, Mike Gorman, who is retiring after his 43rd season calling their games. There were many tributes on the Jumbotron from former Boston players and folks around the NBA during timeouts.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Season over.
Celtics: Await their first-round playoff opponent for next Sunday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Deni Avdija vs. Luke Kornet (Jordan Walsh gains possession) | ||
| 11:44 | | +2 | Payton Pritchard makes two point driving layup | 0-2 |
| 11:26 |  | Anthony Gill misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:24 | | Svi Mykhailiuk defensive rebound | ||
| 11:11 | | +2 | Svi Mykhailiuk makes two point driving layup (Jordan Walsh assists) | 0-4 |
| 10:58 | | Anthony Gill misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:57 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 10:45 | | Johnny Davis shooting foul (Payton Pritchard draws the foul) | ||
| 10:45 | | +1 | Payton Pritchard makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 0-5 |
| 10:45 | | +1 | Payton Pritchard makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 0-6 |
| 10:34 | | Corey Kispert misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:33 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 10:28 | | +3 | Svi Mykhailiuk makes three point running jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 0-9 |
| 10:14 | | Anthony Gill misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 10:13 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 10:05 | | Johnny Davis personal foul (Payton Pritchard draws the foul) | ||
| 10:00 | | Sam Hauser misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:58 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 9:52 | | Svi Mykhailiuk shooting foul (Deni Avdija draws the foul) | ||
| 9:52 | | +1 | Deni Avdija makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 1-9 |
| 9:52 | | +1 | Deni Avdija makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 2-9 |
| 9:39 | | Payton Pritchard misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:38 | | Anthony Gill defensive rebound | ||
| 9:32 | | +2 | Anthony Gill makes two point running layup | 4-9 |
| 9:16 | | Sam Hauser misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 9:15 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 9:07 | | +2 | Anthony Gill makes two point driving floating jump shot (Corey Kispert assists) | 6-9 |
| 9:07 | | Sam Hauser shooting foul (Anthony Gill draws the foul) | ||
| 9:07 | | +1 | Anthony Gill makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 7-9 |
| 9:00 | | Deni Avdija personal foul (Svi Mykhailiuk draws the foul) | ||
| 8:53 | | Jordan Walsh misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:50 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 8:40 | | Payton Pritchard misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:38 | | Svi Mykhailiuk offensive rebound | ||
| 8:33 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:31 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 8:20 | | Deni Avdija misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 8:19 | | Wizards offensive rebound | ||
| 8:17 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:16 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 8:11 | | +2 | Svi Mykhailiuk makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Payton Pritchard assists) | 7-11 |
| 7:53 | | Luke Kornet blocks Anthony Gill's two point driving hook shot | ||
| 7:52 | | Anthony Gill offensive rebound | ||
| 7:49 | | Luke Kornet blocks Anthony Gill's two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 7:47 | | Jordan Walsh defensive rebound | ||
| 7:31 | | +2 | Svi Mykhailiuk makes two point driving finger roll layup (Luke Kornet assists) | 7-13 |
| 7:22 | | Deni Avdija turnover (lost ball) (Jordan Walsh steals) | ||
| 7:20 | | Anthony Gill shooting foul (Jordan Walsh draws the foul) | ||
| 7:20 | | Jordan Walsh misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 7:20 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 7:20 | | +1 | Jordan Walsh makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-14 |
| 6:59 | | +3 | Patrick Baldwin Jr. makes three point jump shot (Anthony Gill assists) | 10-14 |
| 6:39 | | +3 | Svi Mykhailiuk makes three point jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 10-17 |
| 6:31 | | +2 | Anthony Gill makes two point driving floating jump shot (Corey Kispert assists) | 12-17 |
| 6:31 | | Luke Kornet defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 6:08 | | Sam Hauser misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 6:06 | | Johnny Davis defensive rebound | ||
| 6:00 | | Sam Hauser blocks Johnny Davis's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:59 | | Payton Pritchard defensive rebound | ||
| 5:54 | | +2 | Payton Pritchard makes two point running layup | 12-19 |
| 5:54 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:42 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:40 | | Jaden Springer defensive rebound | ||
| 5:19 | | Payton Pritchard misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:17 | | Wizards defensive rebound | ||
| 5:00 | | +3 | Eugene Omoruyi makes three point jump shot (Johnny Davis assists) | 15-19 |
| 4:43 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:41 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 4:32 | | Johnny Davis turnover (lost ball) (Jaden Springer steals) | ||
| 4:29 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point running dunk (Payton Pritchard assists) | 15-21 |
| 4:14 | | Johnny Davis turnover (lost ball) (Jaden Springer steals) | ||
| 4:11 | | Eugene Omoruyi personal foul (Jaden Springer draws the foul) | ||
| 4:11 | | +1 | Jaden Springer makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 15-22 |
| 4:11 | | +1 | Jaden Springer makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 15-23 |
| 3:57 | | +2 | Jared Butler makes two point driving layup | 17-23 |
| 3:47 | | Xavier Tillman turnover (traveling) | ||
| 3:35 | | +2 | Justin Champagnie makes two point cutting layup (Eugene Omoruyi assists) | 19-23 |
| 3:15 | | +3 | Xavier Tillman makes three point jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 19-26 |
| 3:05 | | Jaden Springer blocks Jared Butler's two point driving layup | ||
| 3:04 | | Wizards offensive rebound | ||
| 3:02 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point reverse layup | 21-26 |
| 2:46 | | Drew Peterson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:44 | | Xavier Tillman offensive rebound | ||
| 2:39 | | +2 | Xavier Tillman makes two point driving hook shot | 21-28 |
| 2:24 | | +2 | Eugene Omoruyi makes two point driving dunk (Justin Champagnie assists) | 23-28 |
| 2:06 | | Oshae Brissett misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 2:05 | | Eugene Omoruyi defensive rebound | ||
| 1:58 | | +2 | Eugene Omoruyi makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 25-28 |
| 1:37 | | +2 | Xavier Tillman makes two point turnaround hook shot | 25-30 |
| 1:22 | | Deni Avdija misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 1:20 | | Celtics defensive rebound | ||
| 1:20 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 1:03 | | Deni Avdija blocks Payton Pritchard's two point driving layup | ||
| 1:02 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 0:57 | | Jules Bernard misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 0:56 | | Oshae Brissett defensive rebound | ||
| 0:40 | | +2 | Jaden Springer makes two point layup | 25-32 |
| 0:28 | | +2 | Jared Butler makes two point driving layup (Jules Bernard assists) | 27-32 |
| 0:08 | | +2 | Xavier Tillman makes two point driving layup (Oshae Brissett assists) | 27-34 |
| 0:08 | | Jared Butler shooting foul (Xavier Tillman draws the foul) | ||
| 0:08 | | Xavier Tillman misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 0:08 | | Jared Butler defensive rebound | ||
| 0:06 | | Payton Pritchard personal foul (Jared Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 0:00 | | +3 | Jared Butler makes three point stepback jump shot | 30-34 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:51 | | Oshae Brissett blocks Deni Avdija's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 11:50 | | Jordan Walsh defensive rebound | ||
| 11:34 | | Sam Hauser misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 11:32 | | Anthony Gill defensive rebound | ||
| 11:26 | | +2 | Justin Champagnie makes two point running layup (Jared Butler assists) | 32-34 |
| 11:12 | | Oshae Brissett turnover (lost ball) (Justin Champagnie steals) | ||
| 11:05 | | Justin Champagnie misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:04 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 10:46 | | Anthony Gill shooting foul (JD Davison draws the foul) | ||
| 10:46 | | +1 | JD Davison makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 32-35 |
| 10:46 | | JD Davison misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 10:46 | | Justin Champagnie defensive rebound | ||
| 10:30 | | Neemias Queta blocks Jared Butler's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:29 | | Neemias Queta defensive rebound | ||
| 10:16 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:14 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 10:07 | | Corey Kispert misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:05 | | Justin Champagnie offensive rebound | ||
| 10:05 | | +2 | Justin Champagnie makes two point tip layup | 34-35 |
| 10:05 | | JD Davison shooting foul (Justin Champagnie draws the foul) | ||
| 10:05 | | +1 | Justin Champagnie makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 35-35 |
| 9:52 | | Jordan Walsh offensive foul (Charge) (Anthony Gill draws the foul) | ||
| 9:52 | | Jordan Walsh turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 9:39 | | Corey Kispert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:36 | | Anthony Gill offensive rebound | ||
| 9:31 | | +2 | Corey Kispert makes two point driving reverse layup (Anthony Gill assists) | 37-35 |
| 9:16 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:15 | | Jules Bernard defensive rebound | ||
| 9:07 | | +2 | Jules Bernard makes two point running layup | 39-35 |
| 9:06 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:51 | | Neemias Queta misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 8:50 | | Neemias Queta offensive rebound | ||
| 8:49 | | +2 | Neemias Queta makes two point putback layup | 39-37 |
| 8:29 | | Jules Bernard turnover (bad pass) (JD Davison steals) | ||
| 8:15 | | +3 | Svi Mykhailiuk makes three point jump shot (JD Davison assists) | 39-40 |
| 8:00 | | Deni Avdija misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:59 | | Neemias Queta defensive rebound | ||
| 7:51 | | Svi Mykhailiuk misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:49 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 7:44 | | Neemias Queta blocks Deni Avdija's two point running layup | ||
| 7:43 | | Wizards offensive rebound | ||
| 7:26 | | Jules Bernard misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:24 | | JD Davison defensive rebound | ||
| 7:15 | | Neemias Queta offensive foul (Johnny Davis draws the foul) | ||
| 7:15 | | Neemias Queta turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 7:03 | | Jared Butler turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 6:47 | | JD Davison turnover (bad pass) (Jared Butler steals) | ||
| 6:43 | | +2 | Corey Kispert makes two point running layup (Jared Butler assists) | 41-40 |
| 6:34 | | +2 | Neemias Queta makes two point cutting layup (Sam Hauser assists) | 41-42 |
| 6:16 | | Neemias Queta blocks Jules Bernard's two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 6:15 | | Anthony Gill offensive rebound | ||
| 6:09 | | Anthony Gill misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:08 | | Svi Mykhailiuk defensive rebound | ||
| 6:00 | | +3 | Sam Hauser makes three point jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 41-45 |
| 5:59 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:38 | | Neemias Queta blocks Eugene Omoruyi's two point driving layup | ||
| 5:37 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 5:15 | | +2 | Neemias Queta makes two point cutting dunk (Luke Kornet assists) | 41-47 |
| 5:05 | | +2 | Johnny Davis makes two point cutting layup (Jared Butler assists) | 43-47 |
| 4:48 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point reverse layup (Svi Mykhailiuk assists) | 43-49 |
| 4:48 | | Patrick Baldwin Jr. shooting foul (Luke Kornet draws the foul) | ||
| 4:48 | | +1 | Luke Kornet makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 43-50 |
| 4:32 | | +2 | Johnny Davis makes two point driving layup (Corey Kispert assists) | 45-50 |
| 4:24 | | +2 | Payton Pritchard makes two point driving reverse layup (Svi Mykhailiuk assists) | 45-52 |
| 4:05 | | +3 | Eugene Omoruyi makes three point jump shot (Johnny Davis assists) | 48-52 |
| 3:46 | | +2 | Neemias Queta makes two point turnaround jump shot (Svi Mykhailiuk assists) | 48-54 |
| 3:29 | | +3 | Eugene Omoruyi makes three point jump shot | 51-54 |
| 3:11 | | Johnny Davis shooting foul (Neemias Queta draws the foul) | ||
| 3:11 | | Neemias Queta misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 3:11 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 3:11 | | +1 | Neemias Queta makes regular free throw |