Payton Pritchard won in the tunnel, Celtics lost to Hawks in OT
The Celtics lost, but Payton Pritchard came to play and won the night’s best dressed.
All eyes were on Payton Pritchard Saturday night.
With Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis out, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown carrying heavy workloads the night before, the Celtics had room for someone to step up.
“Who’s gonna step up?” Celtics announcer Drew Carter asked his play-by-play partner, analyst Brian Scalabrine. “I got Payton Pritchard,” Scalabrine replied without hesitation.
Putting it all together: Saturday night called for a Payton Pritchard appreciation post. He scored with his threads and added to his tally with high-impact moves during an all-important back-to-back at home.
It was a pivotal night. Unfortunately, the Celtics lost to the Hawks in OT, 119-115.
Before the game tipped off, we had the tunnel walk on the “JetBlue runway.” Before the Celtics hit the floor, Pritchard wore the type of suit that said “boss and CEO.”
Pritchard swooped in early to help deliver a solid first quarter, changing the momentum with energetic footwork. “Listen to this crowd for Pritchard,” Celtics announcer Drew Carter noticed. Minutes later from analyst Brian Scalabrine, “He’ll make you pay.”
Then Pritchard returned towards the end to round things out with a 20-point game wearing 741s the entire night … as did Jaylen Brown, who treated fans and fashionistas to another showing of his performance gear, swapping the black for two-toned grey.
Others in the tunnel looked to have gotten the same memo. Derrick White wore a simple, classic Champion crewneck sweater in a grey a bit lighter than Brown’s midtone heather.
Notably not in grey, Jayson Tatum did his own thing in a varsity-style polo sweater and tan pants. He stood out on the court, too, as he was ultimately responsible for the strong start and for picking up the pace coming back after the half that fizzled out in OT.
Tonight called for a team effort, and their collective effort led to them coming close to eking out a win.
“I like when each guy has a moment,” Scalabrine said early in the evening. “That’s how it’s supposed to be.”
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